


Blind

by Evilbunnygirl93



Category: Dir en grey, the GazettE
Genre: Angst, Drugs, Fighting, M/M, PTSD, Prostitution, Yakuza, highschool
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 09:22:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 112,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8484013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilbunnygirl93/pseuds/Evilbunnygirl93
Summary: Everyone knows how high school goes. It's stereotypical, grouped, and everybody thinks they know everything. The jocks are cool, the nerds are smart, the loud people are crazy, the pretty ones are whores, and the happy ones have great lives. Not everything is what it seems. Sometimes, you have to open up more than your eyes to see something.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is on Hiatus

            Akira slammed his hand on his alarm clock, which was screaming for him to get up as five a.m. He grumbled as he slipped out of bed and walked into his bathroom. He switched the light on and looked at his messy appearance. He yawned loudly before grabbing his toothpaste to start his morning routine. Brush his teeth, use the bathroom, stuff his school clothes in a gym bag, and get into his gym clothes. Akira grabbed his gym bag and school bags then headed downstairs where he grabbed his phone off the coffee table. He dropped his things as he made it to the kitchen where he grabbed a banana, a spoon, and a cup of yogurt.

            Akira quickly ate his breakfast then sat at the door to put on his shoes and then left. It didn’t take the star athlete long to make it to school since he jogs to it every morning. He walked through the open gate and made his way to the gym, where the lights were already on for him. He was tight with the janitor, so she open things up for him in the mornings so he can do some workouts and shoot hoops. Akira loved to play sports. It was his passion. He loved it because it takes him to another world where he doesn’t have to think about his pain.

***

            About fifteen miles away, at six a.m., a bright, pink haired boy groaned when his persistent butler wouldn’t leave until he was awake and moving. The young teen finally stepped out of bed, scratching his head. The butler had turned the lights on, so his eyes were already adjusted to his messy room.

“I have clean clothes for you, Yuu.” The butler said as he walked in and sat the blue school uniform on the dresser. “I’ll have this cleaned up before you get home. You’re family is already eating and waiting for you downstairs. Your parents wish to discuss some matters with you, so they want you to be quick.”

“Why won’t they stop?” The young man sighed.

“Yuu, they just want you to be happy.”

“Well, I just want to make my own choices. They have no business in my love life.”

“Umm…young master.”

“What Kaoru?”

The stoic butler gave a small smile. “Your hair. Remember?”

            Yuu’s eye twitched as he looked in the mirror to find his brightly pinked out hair that his ex convinced him to do before they broke up. He looked at his butler. “I like it.”

Kaoru made a grunt, holding back his laughter. “Of course.”

“I’ll be down in a minute.”

The butler bowed before excusing himself from the room, leaving Yuu to get ready for school. He quickly got dressed, put some eyeliner on and styled his hair before heading downstairs. His sister was already finishing up and heading out to leave when he made it to the table. He sat in front of his plate and started eating as his parents sat their silverware down.

“Yuu.” His mother spoke softly, but strictly. “Your father and I talked last night and, well, we decided it’s best that you don’t date for a while.”

“Everything’s fine mom.”

            “You bring home these…indecent girls.” His father spoke up. “They can barely speak properly, they have no manners, and they have terrible influences on you. Just look at what that girl did to you. Your hair is pink. Before that, you started smoking because of one of them, then another got you to start drinking.”

“Dad, most kids are dying their hair and smoking and drinking. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Well, you’re not most kids.” His mother shot back. “You’re a Shiroyama. You have a name to uphold and life you cannot ruin because of some fling.”

“Like I want to be a Shiroyama?” Yuu snapped, jumping to his feet. “Everyone thought I was some spoiled brat when we moved here. I didn’t have any friends for two years because of our damn name. I didn’t work hard to get approved by you, I worked hard so everyone can see that I was a good person.”

“Yuu.”

“I’m going to school” Yuu mumbled grabbing his bag from Kaoru and headed out the door.

***

            Waking up to the alarm blaring beside his head bugged the tired brunette haired teen. He slapped the alarm off and stretched before sitting up. Glancing at the clock, he took in the time. Seven a.m. He crawls into the closet before closing the door, standing, and turning the light inside on. He quickly grabbed the school uniform hanging from the railing and changed into them. After that, he walked to the full mirror on the end and sat in front of it as he grabbed his makeup bag. He grabbed the liquid foundation and started covering up all the hickies on his neck before covering his face up. He added eyeliner, mascara, and some blush.

             He stood back up after he was done and studied himself to make sure he was ready for the day. He put on a smile, but it slowly disappeared as he tried to hold back tears in his eyes. He looked up, blinking trying to keep his makeup from smearing. After a few seconds, he got his composure back and put his smile back on. He turned the light off and walked into the bedroom where he found his two younger sisters sleeping deeply in the twin bed beside his pallet. He quietly folded up the blankets on the floor before stepping out to go make breakfast.

            It was his daily routine. Get up, get ready, and cook breakfast for his sisters and mother, then head to school. Nothing was different, not even the food. Rice, eggs, and occasionally they would have fish. If they were lucky, they had milk and biscuits too. The brunette made the quick meal before walking to their room and sitting on the bed.

“Satomi. Mayu. It’s time to get up.” He gentle shook his sisters. The elder of the two, Satomi, groaned as she turned over. Mayu slowly sat up with her black hair in a giant ball of fuzz.

“Kouyou, I’m hungry.” The little fourth grader mumbled raising her arms. Kouyou laughed as he lifted his youngest sister.

“Satomi, you need to get up.”

The other dark haired girl sat up. “I don’t want to. Can’t Mayu go to class for me?”

“Then who will go to her classes?”

            The middle schooler groaned as she threw her blankets off and followed her brother out to the dining table. She sat in her seat as her younger sister was placed in hers. Plates were sat in front of them before Kouyou kissed both of their foreheads.

“Get ready as soon as you’re done eating. Satomi, brush her hair and make sure she’s on time, then make sure you’re on time. No more skipping either.”

The young girl moaned. “Fine.”

The brother smiled. “I’m going to buy some chicken tonight. We haven’t had that in while, so what do you say? Does that sound good?”

Satomi looked past her brother’s broken smile and hugged him. “Whatever you want is fine.”

“I’m off, I’ll probably be late again, so make sure to have all of your homework done ok.” Kouyou smiled. “If it is, I’ll make you two a delicious dinner tonight, ok?”

“Yay!” Mayu giggled, making her older sister laugh.

***

             Another teen awoke to the normal sound of his alarm at seven am. The brunette raised up and stretched as he rolled out of bed. He scratched his back as he walked to his closet to get his clothes for the day. He quickly got dressed into his blue uniform and grabbed his book bag before he walked out and went down the hall to the dining room. He sat his bag down and took his jacket off before entering the kitchen where he found his mother struggling to cook breakfast. Her broken arm was in a sling and her beaten body was in no condition to be moving around. He quickly grabbed his apron and put it on before grabbing the second pan she needed.

“I got this mom. Go sit down.”

            Her busted and bruised lips curled into a smiled before she walked to the dining table and sat down in the wobbly chair. He smiled at her and studied her for a moment. Her make-up didn’t hide her black eye, her bruised cheek, the cut on her nose or the hand prints on her neck. He looked away, biting his lips so he wouldn’t cry. He started the coffee machine before getting all the food out and placed it neatly on the counter. He put the bacon in a pan and allowed it to cook as he mixed the batter for pancakes.

            As he cooked, his mother watched with a broken heart and self hatred, but the love for her son was strong enough to block those feelings, even for a little bit. Footsteps down the hall made chills go down both of their spines. She quickly got to her feet, pulled a mug out of the cupboard, and filled it with the finished coffee. She sat it at the table just as her husband walked in. The man in his suit walked past her and grabbed the black mug, taking a sip form it before putting it back down. He kissed her forehead, which sent rage through his son.

            Yutaka glared at his father, but went back to cooking before he burnt the food. The last thing he needed was make his father angry again. He despised his father. The mere touch of him almost made the teen attack, but he his bit his lip as his father patted his head. Yutaka finished up breakfast and made a plate for each of them before sitting at the table. He watched as his mother slowly ate and his father eating with his eyes closed. Yutaka could only stall for so long. His father left after he did and that usually meant his mother would get another bruise.

            “Yutaka, hurry. You’re going to be late.” His mother said softly. He looked at her with broken eyes, knowing there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t swallow anymore of his food. If he did, he knew he would puke, but then maybe if he did, he could have a reason to stay with his mother. Though, he doubt she would allow it.

“I’ll wash the dishes when I get home.” The brunette muttered, standing up. He hugged his mother before grabbing his bag and putting his shoes on. He took one last look to find her smiling lovingly at him. He knew, as soon as walked past that door, she was going to be hurt, but he did so because he didn’t want to disobey her.

***

            “ _Takanori, get up!”_ The teenager’s father startled him, making him roll off the bed. “ _Your alarm has been going off for the past ten minutes. You know you’re supposed to be up at six o’ clock sharp.”_

The boy grunted as he sat up. “Sorry. I was studying all night last night.”

“That makes it ok to sleep in? I’m so tired of your pathetic excuses boy. Get dressed and get downstairs.” His father yelled and slammed the door, making the small teen jump. He sighed as he slowly got up and made it to his closet where he pulled out his clothes. He quickly slipped them on before slipping his books into his bag and going downstairs.

            He walked into the dining room where he found his parents and brother eating. He sat down and looked down at the three cold rice balls in front of him before looking at the warm breakfast they were eating. Hot rice, grilled fish, and some miso soup. His mouth watered as they ate their meals. He grabbed a rice ball and took a bite before glaring at his father, who returned the look.

“If you’d actually try, you’d get fed. You have to work for your food.”

“I have hundreds in almost every class. The one class that’s not, is still an A!” Takanori shot to his feet. “I have ninety-seven in that class! That should be good enough.”

His father stood with enough force, he knocked his chair over. “Only perfect grades are good enough. If you do not get them, you are not trying! Your brother has always maintained his grades in all his classes, even in college. You should be able to do it too. All you do is slack and goof off!”

_“You act like I go out and party all the damn time! I do work my ass off, but you’re too much off an asshole t—!”_

            His father slapped him across the face, silencing him. “You will not talk to me this way. Go to school and you better straighten up your attitude before you come home.”

Takanori kept his head down as he grabbed his bag and left the house. It was a quick walk to his school since he only lived two blocks away. Kids were already walking in, so he slipped in and went straight to the bathroom. He went into the handicapped stall, pulled his makeup bag out of his book bag and started covering his face, especially the large red mark on his cheek. Hopefully it wouldn’t bruise.

***

            When the alarm went off, the black and blonde haired teen slammed his hand on it and groaned. He sat up and scratched the back his head as he yawned. He looked around his messy room before getting up and walking over to his dresser.

“Why am I going again?” He mumbled, scratching his tattooed chest. He slipped on the clean blue uniform that was folded on top, then brushed the knots out of his hair. He pulled the black part up into a ponytail, showing off the blonde underneath. He kicked through the covered floor to his nightstand where he pulled his stash out and sat it on top of the nightstand. He took a blunt out of the bag, but stared in at his night stand noticing a bad was missing from the inside. He kissed his teeth before closing the drawer.

            He lit up, taking a few drags before putting the bag away and grabbing his backpack. He sucked on the joint until he walked to the door where he slipped his shoes on and tossed what was left into the bin beside the shoe rack. He looked back where his brother was watching TV with his whore of a girlfriend, both drinking beers.

“Actually going to school today, Miyavi?”

The boy smiled. “Yeah. I’m bored around here. Plus, there’s food there.”

His brother laughed. “Have fun.”

Miyavi went to leave, but stopped and faced his brother. “By the way, stay out of my stuff, or at least pay for it if you use it. It’s not cheap you know.”

“It’s not that hard to grow weed, Miyavi.”

The half blonde stood up. “I meant my cocaine. I know you’ve been in it. Please, either pay for it, stay out of it, or go buy it yourself.”  He snapped and slung his bag over his shoulder as he walked out of the house.

***

            Walking down the road, Yutaka was in his own world thinking about what was happening at home. He was so absorbed, he didn’t even hear the running foot steps behind him. It wasn’t until arms were wrapped around his chest and the sudden weight of a body against that he came to reality. Yutaka yelped as he took a few steps, catching them both before he kanded flat on his face. He turned his head and saw a familiar smiling face on his shoulder.

“Miyavi!” He smacked the boy in the head. “Don’t do that!”

The other smiled. “But it’s fun! Hey Kai, you should totally buy me lunch today. I came to school like you asked.”

            The brunette rolled his eyes. “Yes because our teacher made us partners for the project. I’m not going to let you slack and get credit. You’re going to work on this, and that means you have to come to school every day. It’s also better if you’re not stoned off your ass.”

“I only smoked one joint today, I’m not that high.”

Kai sighed and pulled away from his classmate. “Miyavi, even then it’s bad. Bad for your health, your brain, and your future.”

Miyavi smiled. “Thanks for caring! But, I don’t want to stop. It’s too much fun. Besides, it’s not like I’m getting other people to do it.”

“Yeah, but how many friends have you lost?” That made the Miyavi’s smile disappear and Kai continued. “All of them. I’m the only person who talks to you anymore and that’s only because I want to help you.”

Miyavi smiled again. “I know, but you should leave me. Others need your time more than I do. I’ll probably drop out anyways.”

Kai stopped and glared at his classmate. “That’s stupid.”

Miyavi waited for more, but nothing came. “Most likely, but it’s also the truth. You have a caring heart, Kai. Everybody loves you and you help them all. It’s best that you stay away from me like everyone else before they leave you too.”

The brunette gave him a sad look, but the half blonde just kept smiling as he continued walking.

***

            A nice black car pulled up to the school gates and Yuu stepped out. He walked into the school yard where students were talking with each other. He walked past the groups, waving to everyone who waved at him and he headed to the gym. Walking to the back, he heard a few students laughing as he made it around the corner.

“Whore!” A boy yelled as he punched a brunette in the stomach. The feminine teen was being held up by two guys and attacked by two others. He looked at Yuu with teary eyes, but wouldn’t let the salty liquid spill over as his stomach was assaulted again. Yuu just walked past them and went straight into the building. Making his way inside, he could hear shoes squeaking on the floor down the hall inside the gym. He walked inside the room to find his best friend shooting hoops and running around like he was playing a game with other people.

“Reita.” His voice caught the dirty blonde’s attention. His sweaty friend turned with a smile.

“Hey.” He gasped.

“Bell will be ringing in fifteen minutes. You might want to clean up.”

            Reita shook his head, placing the ball back where it belonged, and the two of them headed to the changing room, where he started his shower. Aoi sat in the locker room, listening to his iPod as he waited for his friend. Five minutes before the bell, Reita walked out, changed, and styled his hair. He put on his last piece of clothing, a noseband, then they grabbed their things and hurried to class.

            As they stepped inside, they already found some of their classmates sitting at their desks. Reita looked over at the top student in the class and found him doing math problems. He heard a group calling him a ‘nerd’ and a ‘loser’ for spending so much time on school work. Aoi looked at the door to find two boys walking in, the feminine boy from earlier leaning on a blonde friend as they headed to their desks.

“I’m fine Hiroto.” The boy muttered.

His equally pretty friend let him sit on his own. “I’m just worried Kouyou.”

The brunette looked up with a smile, but glared at Yuu, who turned away.

“You guys prepare yourselves.” A blonde said as he walked in.

“Why, Maya?” Reita asked

“Miyavi came. He and Kai walking down the hall right now.”

            They fell silent only to hear the over hyper teen talking eighty miles an hour, in an outdoor voice, and becoming increasing louder. Kids all around grumbled, making comments like ‘joy, here comes the crack head’ and ‘I thought that stoner dropped out’. Reita sat down in his seat as everyone did the same, getting ready for the half blonde’s energy.

“Hey everybody, did you miss me?” Miyavi shouted as he walked in with a smile.

“Hardly.” Maya said, making some of the students laugh.

The other smiled and shrugged his shoulders saying, “Oh well.”

He sat in his seat as Kai sat in his and soon the rest of the class was inside. Miyavi tried to talk to some of them, but they quickly talked to other students. He turned away with a sad smile, but found Reita had turned his head and waved. He waved back. If he had any friends, they would be Kai and Reita. Both are very caring and everybody knows them. He does feel jealous that they are like that with everybody, not just him.

            It’s only the third month of the year, a lot has happened over the past summer, and a lot has changed. Miyavi, the easy going straight A student became a druggy; Aoi, the good rich kid started dating ‘bad girls’ all the time; Takanori was even noticed for wearing makeup; and Kouyou’s secret was found out. Kai and Reita seemed to be the only ones who hadn’t changed at all. They were still true to themselves and to their morals.

            But this is high school. Everything and everybody changes. For good or bad, it depends on the roads and paths they choose to travel on. Friendships are tested, rivals are challenged, secrets are discovered, love becomes a façade, and families are torn. This is the high school where six teens come together and form a bond of friendship. This is where their story begins and where their lives change forever.

 


	2. Chapter 2

            Bells rung to the tune of a song as the school signaled the changing classes. Some students left their rooms to go to the gym as some went to other activities. The locker room filled up quickly as students found their friends and started talking. Aoi walked up to Reita as he pulled his shirt off with a smile.

“So?” the pink haired teen asked.

His friend slipped his gym shirt on and scratched his head. “I don’t know. It’s a bit embarrassing. You know?”

“Not really.” Aoi said as he started removing his clothes. Reita changed into his gym shorts and slipped his shoes back on. The older boy lightly tapped his friend’s arm, showing a cigarette in his hand.

            “Nah, I don’t feel like one. Besides, we’re playing soccer today and I don’t want to be late.” The blonde smiled bigger and quickly tied his shoes. He patted Aoi’s back before walking to the door where others were heading outside. He glanced at one section of the lockers to find the smartest kid in his class staring down at his feet. He bit his lip, taking a step in Takanori’s direction, but found that it was too crowded and instead continued to the door. Takanori pretended not to notice before heading out with the crowd, getting tripped on the way through the door.

            Aoi made sure the coast was clear before he stepped out and headed down to the field, but he made a pit stop behind the gated air conditioner beside the gym. He lit his cigarette up and leaned against the wall, letting his lungs fill with the toxic smoke.

            Aoi looked over where the girls were talking and stretching. He stared at some of their legs and licked his lips as they bent over, showing their butts off. Aoi looked back at his class to see the same feminine teen from earlier being pushed into the grass and kicked by the same guys. One of them was in his class, but the other three he didn’t know. They each kicked him once as they walked past him. Aoi watched as Kai ran over, yelling at the bullies as he helped the teen up.

“Where’s the coach?”He muttered.

“Try looking behind you.”

Aoi jumped, grabbing his chest as he turned to face the mentioned man. “H-hey, coach.”

The black haired, built, forty-eight year old man reached over and snapped the white stick out of the teen’s hand. “Be here after school for work detail. You know there’s no smoking on school property.” Before Aoi could answer, his coach already had him by the ear, dragging him down to the rest of the class. He threw the pink haired boy into the crowd before he started calling names for attendance.  

            “Alright.” The coach shouted, catching the class’s attention. “You’ll be split into two teams. The captains for today are Maya and Kai.”

The boys stepped forward and flipped a coin to see who would pick first. The bleached blonde clapped his hands when he won and automatically, Reita went Maya as Aoi went to Kai. They were always picked first, the dirty blonde was the star athlete and his friend was just as good. The only time they were on the same team was if one of them was picked to be captain. Aoi would always choose _his_ best friend first, and Reita would always choose _his_ best friend first. That’s just how it was and everybody knew it. As names were called, the teams were made until the last two were standing, making a lot of them groan.

            “It doesn’t matter, whoever I pick is going to be the substitute.” Maya muttered.

“No way!” A black haired classmate, Daisuke, shouted. “That geek is bad luck. At least the slut has some skills in playing.”

Reita gripped the captain’s shoulder and whispered. “Pick Matsumoto-san. I want him to play.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I’ll pick up the slack.”

The bleached blonde shook his head, muttering a slight ‘whatever’. “Matsumoto-san.”

            His team kissed their teeth as the short boy walked over with his head hanging low. Uruha walked over and joined the other team. Maya looked around, trying to decide who to put out since Reita wanted to the chestnut play.

“Just kick the geek out.” Daisuke said, pushing Takanori back, making the young boy fall. “Whoops.”

Reita grabbed Daisuke’s shirt and threw him onto the ground before pulling Takanori back up. The dirty blonde glared down at Daisuke. “You’re sitting out.”

“What?”

“If you can’t respect your team members, then you can’t play.”

“Well it’s not your choice.” Daisuke snapped getting to his feet. “It’s Maya-san’s.”

The bleached blonde sighed. “Die, you’re out.”

_“What?”_

“You’re sitting out.”

Die kissed his teeth as he walked to the side and sat in the grass.

            Kai looked through his teammates to see who to sit out. He hated this part of being the captain, he wanted everyone to play. He looked at Kouyou to find his clothes already dirty, his lip busted and his eyes looking straight down. Kouyou looked so sad and alone, he couldn’t sit him out. The brunette needed to know that at least someone cared about him. Besides, Kouyou was good at soccer.

            He looked at Miyavi who was messing with his shirt and moving back and forth on his legs. The boy was eager to get moving and he loved playing so Kai couldn’t put him out either, though his team wanted one of the two out of the game. He looked at Aoi with a pout. The pink haired boy looked around and was about to pick Kouyou, but when he looked at Kai, the shorter shook his head no. He took a quick glance around and nudged his head towards the blonde.

“Hiroto-san, would you be the substitute?” Kai asked.

            Hiroto smiled and shook his head before heading to sit on the side. Kai let out a sigh of relief and smiled at his teammates. Both teams gathered on the field and started playing. Reita stayed close to Takanori, making sure to help him out when he needed it. Boy, did he need it. Takanori was an awful player. He couldn’t kick the ball, it got stolen from him, he got tripped, he couldn’t keep up with his team, and he couldn’t even stop a ball when it was passed to him. Reita didn’t think anyone could be that bad, but he was proven wrong today, when he lost his first game ever. Takanori was bad luck in sports.

            The class headed back in to change and everyone steered clear of Reita. They didn’t know what his attitude would be like for losing and even Aoi was cautious around his friend. Reita wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t fuming, it looked like he was thinking.

“Um…Rei?”

“Hmm?”

Aoi let out a deep breath. “You okay man?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t sound like it.”

The blonde looked at his friend. “I’m just sad…I wanted to play some more. It was a lot of fun!”

Aoi practically fell off the bench, and everyone looked at the cheerful, half naked blonde. The pink haired teen sat up and punched his friend’s shoulder. “Weirdo!”

            Takanori closed his locker, listening to the two best friends laugh and joke around. He was waiting for the prank, the ‘joke’, the bullying. It was only a matter of time. Across the room, Kouyou pulled his pants out to change, but found a circled hole cut into the back of them between the two pockets. The words ‘whore’, ‘slut’, and ‘cocksucker’ written in marker all over the butt. His classmates laughed from a few lockers down and pointed at him.

            Kouyou dropped them and grabbed his shirt, which was shredded beyond fixing. He dropped it, grabbed his book bag and sighed with relief when he found nothing wrong with it. He stuffed his clothes in it before closing his locker. Kouyou looked at the word that was spray painted on the door so that everybody knew what he was. A ‘Whore’.

***

            Miyavi followed Kai out of the gym, back towards the class for their next lesson. They had to work on their project and Kai pulled Miyavi out so he would definitely be there and not skip. Hearing loud laughter and clatter behind them, they turned to see what was going on. Die and his friends were laughing as they kicked Takanori’s books across the hall when he tried to pick them up. One kicked the chestnut in the back side, making him fall forward.

            “Loser!” Die shouted as he kicked another book before heading to his own classroom. Kai picked up the book that slid to him and started walking over to help, but someone beat him to it. Reita was picking up papers and folders on the floor as teens walked around them, ignoring the scene. Aoi was behind them, waving to Kai, telling him not to help, so he held back.

            The dirty blonde stood up and handed the supplies over with a smile. Takanori glared at him as he yanked his things away and walked past him, not saying a word. Kai walked in front of him to return the book.

“Thanks.” Takanori muttered before heading to class. Kai looked at Reita, who looked defeated, but he put a smile on and walked to class as well.

***

            The next teacher came in and started writing on the board as the students pulled out their folders.

“Okay.” She smiled as she turned around. “I’m going to call you up, you will grab a piece a paper out of the box and that’ll be your partner. After you pick you partner, you’re going to get together, copy the instructions, and think of some ideas. The only ones who may get started are Uke and Ishihara. Matsumoto, come up.”

            The short chestnut stood up from the front and walked to the desk. He could hear his classmates praying to be his partner, knowing he would do all the work. He pulled a slip out and glared at the name. “Could I pick again?”

“No,” She said taking the slip and wrote the name down. “Suzuki, you’ll be working with Matsumoto.”

Reita looked up with wide eyes, only to meet the glare of his project partner. Takanori sat back in his chair as the person behind him was called. She was paired up with Maya. Hiroto went up, then a few others. Aoi walked up, knowing he wasn’t going to be with his friend, he just grabbed one without trying to cheat and handed the paper over, not even looking either.

“You’re with Takashima.” When she said that, gasps and whispers filled the room. He turned to see the other teen sinking into his chair.

            She finished up pairing everybody up so they could move around. Reita walked over and sat beside Takanori.

“Takanori, I have a great idea.”

“We’re not doing it.” Takanori said strictly. He glared at the dirty blonde. “You can’t fool me. You’re just another jock who thinks he can get away with me doing all the work. So I might as well do something that I choose. Keep your mouth shut and don’t bother me when I’m working.”

Reita was stunned. “I’ll help.”

“Yeah right. You didn’t even write her instructions down when she was calling everybody else. You just sat there with that stupid grin on your face. Everything I do has to be perfect, so don’t bother with ‘trying’.”

Once again, Reita was stunned and this time, he couldn’t respond. 

            Aoi walked over to Kouyou and sat next to him, where he found two copies of the instructions written out. The brunette handed one over.

“Thanks.” Aoi said with a smile. The other kept his mouth shut and continued his list of ideas. Aoi looked over and noticed that his partner was still in his gym clothes. He didn’t bother asking, knowing someone did something to his uniform. He did however notice the large amount of hickies on the brunette’s neck. The shirt collar was lower than the normal uniforms and had short sleeves.

            Kouyou had hand prints on his upper arms that looked like someone shook him hard. Aoi looked down to find a large brown bruise on his inner thigh, probably from being kicked. His smooth legs were covered in blue, yellow, and green bruises, some looked like hickies, especially ones on his upper thighs where his shorts were pulled up. His legs rubbed against each other.

“Like what you see?”

Aoi looked up to find Kouyou looking at him with lustful eyes and a seductive smile. He crossed his legs and rubbed his hand on one of them. The pink haired teen glared. “Disgusting.”

The brunette’s face suddenly became stoic as he looked down at his work. Aoi was surprised by the sudden switch, but was thankful for it. He chanced another glance at the smooth thighs before looking out the window.

            Kai was writing on the paper while Miyavi was leaning back in his chair trying to balance a pencil on his nose. “We could grow pot.”

The brunette slapped Miyavi upside the head. “No.”

The half blonde pouted, but shrugged his shoulders. “So whose place are we going to?”

“Don’t know.” Kai muttered, still writing. “We’ll figure it out next week when we actually have to start.”

“Ok. What days can I skip?”

“None.”

“Eh?” Miyavi straightened up. “None at all? That’s no fun.”

“Well, life isn’t always fun and games. You have to work sometimes.”

 Miyavi leaned back again. “Why are you helping me Kai? You know I’m a lost cause.”

The brunette finally stopped and looked at the sad teen beside him. “Nobody is a lost cause. You just need the right help.”

Miyavi watched with wide eyes. “You asked the teacher if we could be partners, didn’t you?”

Kai smiled a bit. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The half blonde smiled and pulled out a piece of paper to start writing down ‘real’ ideas. He whispered. “Thank you.”

***

            When the bell rung for lunch, some students grabbed their bentos, while others headed down to the cafeteria. Like most schools, its lunch room was diverse. The jocks and preps sat at one table, the dorks at another, the goths, the emos, the druggies, the skaters, the scene kids, the anorexics and so on. Kouyou quickly found his seat at the end of the anorexics table, though they didn’t even talk to him because of his ‘label’. Nobody really talks to him unless they’re insulting him, but he’s use to it. Takanori paid for his lunch and headed to the empty table he would sit at. Nobody sits near him, he’s more of an outcast than Kouyou, but nobody cares. They all assume that he thinks  he’s better than them. He doesn’t think that at all.

             Before he could make it to his table though, Die and two of his friends stepped in front of him.

“Thanks for the food, loser.” The dark haired teen grabbed the bowl of rice off the younger boy’s tray as the other two grabbed his milk and sandwich. They laughed as they walked away, leaving the chestnut shaking with anger. He was truly fed up with this shit, but he remembered when he tried to fight back. It ended with his head being in the toilet then his body in the dumpster. He dropped his tray at his table and looked at the tofu that remained. He sighed, but before he could pick up his chopsticks, a milk was placed beside him. He looked up to see Reita smiling as he sat a bowl of rice and a sandwich down too.

“If you’d like, you can sit over there with me, or I can sit with you so they don’t bother you anymore.”

            Takanori looked at where the other was pointing and found the three boys head first in different trashcans, trying to get out. He closed his eyes.  “No thank you.”

Reita shook his head, not losing his genuine smile. “Not everyone is bad.”

The chestnut opened his eyes to see the jock walking back to his group and sitting beside the pink haired boy. Kai walked up and sat across from them with a bento. Takanori looked over at the boys getting out of the trash cans. “You’re just too blind to see.”

***

            Lunch seemed relatively short and uneventful. They headed back to their classrooms to finish the last two lessons of the day, which seemed to blow right by. The last bell rung, those who were leaving, packed their things and headed to their clubs or home, whichever. Today it was Takanori’s turn to clean the classroom, then he had to go cram school. Kai offered to help, but the short teen told him no, letting him be on his way. Miyavi smiled as he followed his friend out to where he was going.

            Kouyou vanished into thin air like usual. Reita headed straight to the gym with Aoi, where the blonde quickly changed back into his gym clothes and started stretching. The pink haired boy sighed as dropped his things in the locker room and went out to meet up with the coach for his punishment. He found the old man standing by the track and slowly made his way there.

“Shiroyama, all this has to be done before you go home today. I’ve already informed your parents that you volunteered to help out since I was short handed.” He handed a check list to Aoi. He didn’t complain since the coach was nice enough not to rat him out about smoking. The elder man patted his shoulder and walked away with a smile.

“Pick up trash, put the tools away, make sure all the equipment is put up, do not disturb the girls…hey!” Aoi grumbled, but continued on. “Lock up the sheds, and return the key to my office.” He looked at the gold key taped to the paper. He dropped his head, sighing, but straightened up and got to work.

***

            Squeaks filled the gym as Reita ran across it, bouncing the basketball around the court. He practice a few shots before running around as if he was playing a real game. He could hear the multiple footsteps on the floor, the crowd cheering, the coaches screaming, the timer buzzing. He loved imagining it. It felt great. He would look up at the stands to find his mother, sister, grandparents, and his step-father cheering for him. Then he would blink and it would all fade away. His cheerful smile would drop and he would walk over to his gym bag to pull out his water bottle, but he couldn’t pull it out this time.

            “Where did it go?” He wondered. “I did drink some last class. I probably left it.”

He left his bag and jogged out of the gym. He looked out to see his best friend hard at work, dragging equipment to one of the sheds. He turned the other way and ran to the main building where his class was. Hoping it hadn’t been locked up yet, he ran two steps at a time up the stairs and down the hallway. He slowed when he saw the door still open, but then he heard a yelp.

            Reita walked in to find Takanori being held by one of Die’s friends, while the teen himself slapped the young chestnut in the face with the chalk board eraser. His second friend held up the broom and swung the thin end into the Takanori’s stomach, making him gasp. He drew back and went to swing again, but the broom wouldn’t move. He turned only to get a fist in his face. He fell back onto the floor, gripping his broken nose. Die looked at the glaring blonde.

            “Bastard.”  Die kissed his teeth before throwing a punch. Reita easily dodged it and punched him in the stomach. The third boy let Takanori go to attack, but the blonde kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back. Dei went to punch him again, but Reita grabbed his arm, pulled it behind him and slammed him into the teacher’s desk. They all groaned as he fell to the floor. Reita glared at the boy getting up, but he yelped as he ran out of the room and was soon followed by the other two. Takanori was wiping his face when Reita started cleaning up the room. It was mostly done, but he finished up what was left.

“Are you ok? Do you need to see the nurse?”

 The chestnut got his feet and glared at the blonde. “No.”

“Oh, ok. Do you want me to walk you out in case they come back?”

“Thanks, but no. Listen, I understand you’re a good person, but not everybody wants to be your friend. So stop trying to make me one. I don’t want your pity or your protection.” Takanori stated.

“I don’t pity you, I just thought you needed some help. I wouldn’t mind being your friend. Everybody needs one.”

“Well I don’t want you to be my friend.”

“Well, I mean that’s fine, but uh…” Reita mumbled

“Good, now you can leave me alone and stop looking at me all the time.”

Reita scratched his head and smiled. “Sorry, I just…I keep wanting to ask you something, but I get too nervous to.”

Takanori sighed. “Well spit it out, I’m not going to stay here forever.”

“I-I was wondering…if you could… would um…”

“I don’t have time for this. What do you want?” Takanori finally snapped.

The blonde looked away, embarrassed. “I was just asking if you would tutor me.”

Takanori raised a brow, but shook his head. “I don’t have time. Why don’t you actually pick up a book and study for once? That tends to work. Excuse me.” He pushed the blonde, leaving him in shock.

He looked at the leaving chestnut and sighed. “But I… need help.”

            Aoi wiped his forehead after he sat a box of flags inside the far shed. He stretched as he looked out the window, where something caught his eye. The feminine boy from earlier was looking around suspiciously, before entering the second shed across the field. The pink haired boy walked out and grabbed the cart of soccer balls and pulled them in.

            He pushed them against the wall, then straightened everything up before he walked to window again to look. He stayed there for a minute waiting for something to happen and something did happen.

“Seto sensei?” He questioned, seeing his teacher looking around before walking into the same shed. He walked out and locked the sports shed up. He grabbed a hammer and started walking to the tool shed, where the two had went into earlier. As he approached it, he heard a moan. He stopped in his tracks, listening for a few minutes trying to believe what he heard.

            “So good, Takashima.” His sensei moaned. Aoi’s eyes grew wide as he stepped forward and peeked into the cracked open door. In the middle of the shed was a work table, where the brunette was leaning on his stomach, naked with his teacher thrusting into him from behind. Kouyou looked up, showing the pink haired teen the tears running down his face, ruining his makeup.

 _“Sensei!”_ He moaned out, clenching his fists as he moaned, when the teacher started going faster. Aoi continued staring with wide eyes, mouth open, and a tent forming in his pants. Kouyou moved his eyes around as he moaned louder and then he found the peeping tom. Their eyes met for a moment. The brunette smiled before he moaned out.

 _“Yes, sensei, right there! Harder!”_ He was doing it on purpose. _”You’re so good!”_

            Aoi continued watching his teacher fuck his classmate roughly and shamelessly. There was something about Kouyou that made him…stay. His voice, his body, his moans, or was it the tears? His facial expression was not enjoyment, but sadness and self-hatred. Was his moans pleas for help, his cries of pleasure, actually cries of pain? Aoi was too confused, he had never seen something like this before. Not two men having sex, not seeing someone cry while having sex, not seeing someone who truly hated themselves.

            A loud grunt, caught Aoi’s attention. He looked in to see that the teacher had stopped and was now pulling out. Kouyou gasped for air as he fell off onto the floor, shaking like a leaf. He quickly moved to the side to look through the window, so his sensei wouldn’t spot him. He watched as the elder man pulled a condom off and slipped himself back into his pants. He straightened his clothes up before pulling a wad of cash out of his pocket and dropping it on the table.

“I’ll see you next time hun.” He said before stepping out. Aoi moved around the shed to avoid being seen. He looked over to make sure the teacher was gone before he stepped into the shed where he found Kouyou still sitting, but calmed down.

            “So you’re a prostitute.”

The brunette snorted as he got to his shaky feet and leaned on the table for support. “In a sense. Don’t tell anybody.” Kouyou kept his eyes on the ground. “I don’t want to get anybody in trouble.”

“Do you love him? Seto sensei, I mean.”

“I hate him.” Kouyou clenched his fists. “I hate all of them.”

“Then why do you do it?” Aoi asked putting the hammer away.

“I need the money.” Kouyou whimpered. He grabbed the cash and started counting it as Aoi watched, but he flinched when his classmate slammed his fist on the wood. “Asshole!”

“He was short?”

            Kouyou almost glared at the other, but he nodded confirming Aoi’s statement. The brunette sighed and looked down, and that’s when he spotted something interesting. He smiled, putting his sexy face on. He straightened up and swayed his hips, walking towards Aoi. The pink haired teen walked back at the sudden switch until he was against the counter. Kouyou moved towards him and pressed against him, his still hard member pushing against the Aoi’s tented pants. That’s when he realized that Kouyou never got off.

“How about it?” The brunette asked lustfully, rubbing the elder’s arm. “I’ll get rid of your little problem. For a small fee of course.”

“No thanks.”

            “I’m clean, you and I are fucking hard as rocks, but then again, you did say something about this being disgusting. But, if you have a problem with me being a guy…” He smiled, changing his voice. “I can sound like a woman.”

“Whoa.” Aoi let it slip out at the other’s change of voice.

“Not everybody I fuck likes me being a guy. So I pretend I’m a girl.” He said in the high pitched voice. He grabbed Aoi’s hands and pressed them against his naked chest. Aoi never felt such soft skin and ventured the body sliding his hands down Kouyou’s torso. “You like this don’t you? You want this. I see it in your eyes and in your pants.”

Aoi moaned, feeling Kouyou’s hand on his clothed covered member. Kouyou moved closer, his lips brushing against his classmates. Aoi took a deep breath. “You smell good.”

The brunette smiled, planting his lips onto Aoi’s.


	3. Chapter 3

            Crickets filled the night air as Kouyou made his way home with two bags of groceries. He walked up the stairs to his apartment and unlocked the door. When he walked in and heard footsteps running in his direction.

“Kouyou!” His little sister shouted, jumping into his arms.

“Hey Mayu.”

“I finished my homework and took a bath.”

“I see that.” The brunette said rubbing his sister’s wet hair. He walked past the table to see both of his sister’s homework waiting for him to check. He sat Mayu on the counter and placed the bags down.

            “Do you need help?” Satomi asked, walking in. Kouyou smiled and shook his head no, but his sisters stayed. He got out the dishes he needed to fry the chicken he bought, then got started on putting things together. He made his sisters sit on the other counter as he turned on the stove. They helped egg and flower the chicken, then he placed them in the pan to cook. He took a box out of a bag, grabbed a measuring cup, and a bowl. He started mixing up the instant mashed potatoes as his sisters watched while they sat on the counter behind him.

            “I passed my English test today.” Satomi said.

Kouyou smiled and turned around. “Good job! I’m proud of you. I’ll make sure to buy you something next time I go to the store.”

His sister frowned. “No. Please don’t.”  Her brother was shocked. “Mayu, why don’t you go brush your teeth.”

“Okay.” The little girl jumped off and ran out.

“I’m not stupid Kouyou.” Satomi said. “I know what you’re doing to get the money to buy us food.”

“You’re very smart, but you don’t know.” He muttered, turning around to focus on dinner.

“It’s the same thing mom makes you do to pay for her drugs.” She said firmly and her brother stopped moving. “Mayu is starting to ask questions. She’s confused and worried. Its bad enough mom is never around, but now we’re seeing less of you too. She’s scared that you’re abandoning us.”

            “I’m sorry.” He muttered. What else could he say? It broke his heart.

“I know. That’s why I’m working hard. So that you can be proud of me and I can be a better person than mom. So that I can take care of you when you need it. My teacher said I’ve been nominated to go to Harriet’s. She said if I keep working hard I can get a scholarship.”

Kouyou turned and pulled his sister into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you. I knew you could do it. I know you’ll get in.”

“I declined.”

He gasped and pulled away in disbelief. “Why? Satomi this school will open a lot of opportunities for you.”

“Even with the scholarship, I have to pay an entrance fee, health fee, and living expenses. We can’t afford that.”

“How much?”

Satomi looked away, but her brother wouldn’t move until she told him. “Its ¥500,000 for half the year.”

Kouyou bit his lip, but smiled. “I’ll get it for you.”

Her eyes went wide. “No you—”

“I have almost a year to come up with it. Accept it tomorrow.”

            Her eyes filled with tears as she hugged him. “Thank you. I’ll make it up to you! I’ll be the best, I’ll get into a good college and get a good job, and then I’ll take care of you!”

He smiled, hugging her. He wanted nothing more than his sisters’ happiness. “Go set up the table, the chicken is done. Then make sure you sister didn’t fall into the sink.”

            They laughed as they wiped their teary eyes. She did as told as he made their plates and Mayu decided to walk back. “My teeth are squeaky clean and ready to chew!”

They sat at the table and started eating as Kouyou checked their homework. He was so proud at how hard they worked, he definitely had to get them something for a reward. Satomi made him stay seated as she washed the dishes. She looked over and watched as he played patty cake with their little sister. As she washed the last dish, they heard the door unlock and open up to a middle aged old woman with dark eyes, a smile with rotting teeth, messed up black hair, pale white skin, and a nasty smell. She walked in with a man behind her and closed the door.

“Kouyou, come here.” She cooed. He stood up and shook as he walked over. Satomi glared at the woman and the man. “This is my sweet son. He loves paying for me to have things. Don’t you sweetie?”

            He looked up at the man and shook his head yes before looking back down. The man had long hair pulled back into a ponytail, his muscles showed that he worked out a lot, he had a goatee, and his arms covered in tattoos. He walked around Kouyou, the gripped his waist and pulled the brunette against his body. Satomi ran to her sister and hugged her, shielding her eyes from the sight as the man felt up her brother’s body.

“He’ll do.” Those words sent shivers down the children’s spines. The man pulled a small bag of white powder and handed it to her.

“The bedroom is the first on the right.” She said.

“Wait.” Kouyou spoke. “Let me take my sisters next door. They shouldn’t be in here during this.”

“I hate waiting, so you better be quick.”

“I will.” He muttered. “Satomi, go get yours and Mayu’s things. Quickly.”

            His sister did so as the man walked into the bedroom and as their mother sat on the couch. She was already cutting the white powder up. He walked out the front door and across the hall where he knocked on another door.  It opened up to show a very annoyed tattooed man smoking a cigarette.

 “I-I’m sorry, Kyo.” He whimpered. The short man looked past the teen to see the two girls walking out with clothes and pillows.

“I’ll make them a bed.” He mumbled, waving for them to enter. They smiled and ran in.

“Thank you. I’ll make it up to you.”

The man waved. “Nah, I enjoy the company. I’ll make sure they’re up for school tomorrow.”

            Kouyou bowed before walking into his own apartment. He ignored his high mother and started undressing as he walked into the bedroom. As soon as he walked in though, he was thrown onto the bed and the man climbed over him.

“I told you I hate waiting.” He rubbed the teen’s chest before pinching his nipple. “You’re my bitch tonight.”

Kouyou looked down at the already hard member. It had a condom on, but no lube. He bit his lip as the man slowly penetrated him, making him yelp. “Sh-Shiroyama!”

“Is that your boyfriend?” He laughed. “Or your crush? I don’t mind you yelling out his name, you’re a only a good fuck, so yell all you want.” He thrusted harder making Kouyou cry out.

‘Why did I call out his name?’ He thought.

***

            Aoi laid down on his bed and looked out at the night sky. He got home about an hour ago and in that hour it got so dark. It made him wonder how late he had stayed at school helping. He did do ‘that’. He bit his lip and stared straight at the ceiling. Never had he thought he would do something like that with another guy. It was strangely satisfying.

_Kouyou pulled his lips away from the pink haired boy and smiled. “You’re a good kisser.”_

_Aoi gripped the brunette’s hair. “So are you.” He pulled the other teen into another kiss as they grinded against each other. He moved his hands down, gripping the brunette’s hips and pulled them against his, making them both moan out. Aoi moved his hands to Kouyou’s backside and squeezed those plumped cheeks._

_The other smiled as he moved down breaking from Aoi’s hold, but he got on his knees and unzipped the pants. He pulled them down just enough he could get the erection inside, out. Kouyou licked his lips as he stroked the member, making Aoi moan. He slipped the tip into his mouth and Aoi shivered with a low moan. Kouyou sucked on the head, hollowing his cheeks, before licking around the swollen tip._

_He stroked Aoi’s shaft as he sucked hard and massaged it with his tongue. He bobbed his head a little and he felt warm streams of tears run down his cheeks. That’s when his head was pushed away. He looked up into Aoi’s eyes._

_“Are you hurting?” Aoi asked._

_Kouyou shook his head. “No.”_

_“Then why are you crying?”_

_The brunette smiled. “I just do. I can’t help it. It happens whenever I have sex.”_

_Aoi wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “I don’t like to see people cry.”_

_Kouyou shook his head. “I’ll try not to.”_

_He blinked his eyes before kissing the tip of the member and licking it, then sucking down on it. Aoi bit his lip and he gripped the brunette hair as he thrusted a little trying not to choke Kouyou. He massaged Kouyou’s scalp as he bucked his hips every so often and threw his head back as he moaned out. Aoi occasionally looked down to see if the other was crying and he was, but Aoi would wipe the tears away and give a reassuring smile before he allowed Kouyou to continue. Kouyou started tasting the salty ooze come out of Aoi’s tip. He pulled off, but kept stroking the member._

_“You want to come on my face or do you want me to drink it?”_

_Aoi moaned out, trying to make up his hazy mind. “Fuck, I want to see your face covered with my cum.”_

_Kouyou opened his mouth and got in the line of fire as he stroked faster. Aoi moaned out obscenities as he shot his white cream across Kouyou’s face. A line was splattered over his eye, down his nose, into his mouth and down his chin. He continued stroking until the last few squirts were on his face. Aoi looked down at the other’s trembling lips as a tongue darted out to lick the salty treat._

_They stayed there for a while trying to come off their high before moving around. Kouyou finally stood up on his shaky legs, but started to fall. Aoi caught him and held him up and they stayed there for a little longer before the brunette finally found himself able to walk again. Aoi watched as the other teen got dressed, then he shoved himself back into his pants. He looked down to see a splotch of semen where Kouyou obviously came._

_He grabbed a paper towel from the sink, then walked over and started wiping the brunette’s face. The teen blushed, not expecting such gentleness or help. Nobody has ever stayed around. They just paid and left, leaving him to clean up. He allowed himself to get cleaned up for once before taking on his normal demeanor._

_“Remember, this wasn’t free.”_

_Aoi pulled away and nodded. He pulled his wallet out and took out all the bills he had, then handed them over. “I hope it’s enough.”_

_Kouyou stared in shock, he wasn’t expecting so much. “That’s too much.”_

_“You need the money right?” Aoi said grabbing Kouyou’s hand and placed the money in it. “That was the best blowjob I’ve ever had by the way. I’ll be seeing you.”_

            Aoi opened his eyes and slapped himself in the face. ‘How could have left like that? Doesn’t that make me like everyone else?’

“Dinner is ready younger master.” Kaoru had walked in.

Aoi sat up. “I’m coming.”

“Hopefully not like that.” Kaoru said pointing down at Aoi’s pants.

Aoi looked down at his obvious boner. “I’ll be down in a little bit.” He sighed walking to his bathroom. All he thought about was having Kouyou’s mouth on him again.

***

            Across town, keys jingled as Reita unlocked the front door to his home and he walked in, kicking his shoes off. He dropped his bags before heading into the kitchen where he grabbed a cup of instant ramen, put some water in it and popped it into the microwave. He walked over to the flashing light on the answer machine and pushed the button.

            “Hey Akira, its dad. I was calling to see how you were doing. I put more money in your account so go grocery shopping. Have you found a tutor yet? If not, I’ll call in for one. You need one by the end of this week. I…I’m sorry Akira. I won’t be coming home this weekend. Problems at work you know. I’ll try to make it up to you. I probably won’t be home until next month actually. You’re not running low on your medicine are you? If you are, call me. Call me anyways, I want to talk to you. Don’t push yourself too hard. As soon as this is done over here I’m taking you to a basketball and a soccer game. I’ll make sure we get the best seats too…Please call me back. I love you.”

            The blonde opened the microwave and sat his food on the table before grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge. He sat down and started eating in the quiet house. After he was done, he headed up stairs to his room and changed his clothes. Into some shorts and a tank top. He washed his face before walking back into his room and plopping down on the bed. He looked over at the pill container and the picture behind it. He grabbed the photo and stared at the woman who was smiling with him as a young boy.

            “Mom.” He whimpered, letting his tears flow out. Suddenly it became a sob, then a loud cry as he curled into a ball, hugging the photograph. His body shook as he gasped for air as images ran through his mind. He gripped his head and started punching it as memories flowed in. He didn’t want to remember. His body shook and he yelled as he started to hallucinate. His mother’s smile, holding hands, a scream, a gunshot, and then blood. 

            Akira gasped as he shot up and hugged himself trying to catch his breath. His body shook, what felt like hours had only been minutes. With a shaky hand, he placed the picture back on the nightstand, then he opened the day from the pill container and poured his medicine out. He popped them into his mouth and chugged his water before falling back onto the bed. He looked at the time on the clock. He didn’t care about the hour. He paid attention to the minutes, because in less five minutes, he should be knocked out.

***

            Takanori yawned upon entering his home. He place his shoes neatly to the side, then headed upstairs to drop his things into his room. He looked around the bare room. A dresser, a bed, a desk and a window. Not an average teenager’s room. Knowing his father would be walking up any moment, he quickly pulled out some books and sat at the desk to start studying. It wasn’t two minutes before his father walked in and sat on the bed.

“I decided that your punishment for disrespecting me this morning will be no supper.” Like the teen didn’t know already. “Be up early tomorrow.”

“Dad.” He muttered. “I was assigned a project. I’ll need to buy supplies soon.”

“I’ll give you the money this weekend.”

“Also…”

“What?”

“Someone asked me to tutor them. I was wondering if I may help him.”

“No, it’ll take away from your studies.”

“Statistically, people who study together tend to get better grades.” Takanori dared. “At least let me try. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll back to cram school. You always said to ‘venture to find what is best for you’. Maybe this could help me.” He knew his father loved hearing his own words.

“Fine. But if your grades lower, you will not be allowed to do it anymore. You also have to do it the same amount of time as Cram school. Understand?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Your mother says it’s always good to help people, but remember, helping people doesn’t get you as far as helping yourself.” With that his father left. Takanori sighed with relief. He finally found a way out of cram school.

***

            Kai was in his room working on his math when he heard dishes breaking and yelling from the kitchen. Then he heard his mother’s scream. He jumped from his chair and ran out to find his father on top of his mother, punching her in the face.

“ _Get off!”_ The brunette screamed, tackling his father. Kai got on top of him and started punching his face. His mother cried as she tried to sit up, but she was too weak. Kai yelped when his father punched him off. He got his feet and started kicking his son in the stomach. His mother screamed, begging his father to stop, but he didn’t. Kai caught his father’s leg and pulled it, making him fall again.

            Kai got on top of him, where they started throwing punches at each other. A particular punch to the jaw threw the brunette off again, but this time when his father got up, he pulled Kai up too. He dragged his son by the hair to the stove, where he turned it on. He punched his son in the head, making him fall his knees.

“ _Please stop!”_ His wife begged, trying to stand up. He ignored her as he waited for the eye to get hot. When it started turning reddish- orange, he pulled his son up and tried to push his head onto it. Kai screamed as he pushed his hands on the stove, trying to push his head away from the burner. His father pushed down with all his weight. The brunette could feel his face burning as it inched closer.

 _“Get off my son!”_ His mother screamed, pushing her husband with all her might. He lost his balance and fell, freeing Kai. He jumped back to get away from the stove as his mother fell to her knees. He kneeled to check on her, but then they heard his father stand up. Kai covered his mother, guarding her as he stared his father down. His father walked past the two of them, slipped his shoes on and left. Kai hugged his mother, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. He rubbed her back, soothing her.

            It took a while for her to calm down, and when she did, they stood up. Kai turned the stove off and helped his mother get to her bedroom where he made her lie down. He brought her some water and medicine before singing her a melody to help her sleep. He walked out, quietly closing the door, then he went the bathroom to study his face.

‘Just a singe. It’ll take a few days to heal, but it won’t scar.’ He thought as he looked down at the burn on his hand below his thumb. He pulled the first aid kit out. ‘However, this might.’

            The next day, Kai told everybody that he was cleaning and he slipped while his mother was using the stove. They believed him, except for Reita. He knew about Kai’s father, he knew that man had something to do with this, but he would never speak a word of it unless the brunette did.

            As they sat down in class, Takanori looked back at Reita, who was talking to his friends. He remembered the blonde saying he was embarrassed about asking for help, so he decided to wait until they were alone before they talked. The bell rung and his classmates hurried to their seats before their teacher walked in. Aoi looked back to find that Kouyou didn’t come today. He hummed as he turned to face the front when the teacher walked in. He did attendance, then started writing on the board about a book they were reading.

            They got their books out and turned to the page on the board and waited for the teacher to call out someone to read. They all hated this class, none liked reading out loud, but it was required. When called, Takanori stood up and read the next two pages perfectly, fluently, and timely. The teacher made him sit, then looked around the room.

“Suzuki. You read.” Reita’s eyes got wide. He looked around the room. “There’s only one of you. Now stand up and read. You need the points to boost up your grade.”

“I’ll read for him.” Aoi said, standing up.

“You will not. Now sit.” He ordered and the teen did so. “Suzuki, you have refused every time to read aloud, but I won’t allow it anymore. Either read or take a detention.”

            The athlete swallowed hard as he stood up and grabbed the book. He looked around one more time, all eyes were looking at him. “The two boys…were …now…st-stuck on the is…is…land—”

“I-sland.” Aoi whispered.

“Island with…out any…food or shel…ter. They…had no idea w-w-here…wahere.”

“Where.” Aoi whispered again.

“where…they were.” He struggled and his classmates giggled, except Aoi and a very shocked Takanori. He had no idea the other had trouble reading. “They…were thir-sty and hun-gry.”

“That was good Suzuki.”

Reita gave a half smile as he sat down and the next kid was called. Takanori looked back to see Reita frowning deeply into the book. He had never seen the athlete with such a face.

            The day went on accordingly, nothing eventful happened, nothing was different, and nothing was exciting. They went through each class like normally and did their work like normal, then it hit PE. Takanori changed into his gym clothes as everyone else did the same and he walked past the lockers to find Aoi walking off without his best friend, who by the way was sitting on a bench in front of his locker.

            The chestnut walked out with the others and headed down to the field. He scratched his head, realizing his glasses were still on top. He sighed walking back up to the locker room and went back inside. He went to his locker, but heard the coach and Reita talking.

“I’m sorry Suzuki, there’s nothing I can do.”

“But…”the blonde whimpered. “I-I have to play!”

“You can’t. Your grades are too low. I know you’ve been struggling, but unless you can get them up, I can’t let you play, nor practice with the team.”

“I-I’m looking for a tutor, please I just need a little more time.”

“The deadline was today. I gave you a week to find help, you should have found it. Get your grades up and you can play soccer when it comes around. You can play basketball next year.”

Reita’s head dropped, but Takanori could still see his face. It looked like the blonde was trying to hold back his tears. Takanori stepped into the office. “I can tutor him.”

They both looked at the small teen. “Takanori?” Reita mumbled.

“My father said I could.”

            The coach sighed, looking at the desperate plea on Reita’s face. “If you can get you your grades up at least one letter before the first game, I’ll let you back on the team.”

Reita smiled big and laughed. “Thank you! Thank you so, so much!” He then turned and pulled the chestnut into a tight hug. “Thank you too! I owe you big time!”

“You can let go of me.” Takanori gasped and the blonde let go. “We can start today. Where would you like me to meet you?”

The athlete smiled. “In the gym of course.”

***

            A few miles away, Kouyou was waking up from his deep slumber. He looked around the dark room as he sat up. A rag fell off his head, but he stood up only find himself too dizzy to keep his balance. He fell back down and groaned. The bedroom door open showing his sister.

“Kouyou, you need to lay down.” Satomi pushed him back and pulled the covers up to his shoulders. She wet the rag in a bowl that had been sitting nearby and placed it on her brother’s forehead. “You have a fever.”

“Why aren’t you in school?” Kouyou whispered.

“I went, but I told my teacher that you were very sick and needed someone home with you. She gave me my work and allowed me to come back home.”

The brunette sighed as he closed his eyes. “Did you do it?”

“I’m working on it right now.”

“Good. If you need help, come get me.”

Satomi smiled and shook her head. She petted her brother’s head, helping him get back to sleep.

***

            The school day ended pretty fast, kids went to their clubs, cram school, or homes, while others cleaned up. Reita was already in the gym shooting hoops by the time Takanori had walked in. The blonde was so focused on the imaginary game, he didn’t notice the other walking in. The chestnut sat on the benches and watched as Reita flowed through his game. He raised a brow at how determined the teen was and how good he was, too.

            Reita ran to the middle doing spins as he bounced the ball and then he jumped to shoot the ball. The orange globe went through the net and bounced loudly on the ground. He headed over to his bag for a drink and that’s when he noticed he wasn’t alone. He smiled at his company.

“You done? I don’t want to waste anymore time here.”

“Waste time?” Reita muttered. “Practicing isn’t a waste of time. It’s fun.”

“Do you want to learn to read or do you want to shoot hoops?”

            The blonde put his bottle down and lowered his head. “It’s hard, you know. Reading I mean. Shooting hoops is so easy for me. Why do they force someone to do something they can’t in order to do something they can?”

“Reading is everywhere. If you can’t read a contract, how do you know if you’ll be playing offense or defense?”

They looked at each other and Takanori never seen such a sad face turn into a happy one in a blink of an eye. Reita closed his eyes and smiled. “Ok.”

***

            On his way home, Aoi felt like getting a snack so he got Kaoru to stop by a convenience store. He walked in and started looking around at the chips before going down the aisles to find anything to snack on. He was looking at some candy when something caught his attention. He turned a little to find a young girl stuffing a box in her shirt. She put her hands in her pockets and started heading for the door, but the clerk grabbed her arm.

“Hand it over!” He ordered.

“What are you talking about you jerk?” She yanked her arm back.

“Whatever you stole, put it back or I’m calling the cops.”

“I don’t have anything!” She yelled trying to walk by, but he grabbed her and pulled her shirt up. “Stop it you freak!”

“Hey!” Aoi stepped in, pulling the clerk back, but grabbed the girl before she could run out. “Don’t touch her like that.”

“Stay out of this punk.”

“Technically, she didn’t leave the store, so it’s not stealing and you just molested her. I would stay out of this if I were you.”The clerk’s eyes grew wide as he stepped back. Aoi bent down and smiled at the middle schooler. “Now, why don’t you put back what you took and go ask your mom to buy it for you.”

“But she wouldn’t in the first place.”

“Well then maybe you don’t need it.”

            She looked down in defeat. She sniffled as she pulled out a can of soup out of her pocket and the medicine box out from under her shirt. “Sorry.”

Aoi looked at the medicine and saw it was for a fever. “Is somebody sick?”

The girl looked up. “My brother is. I told him I would get him some medicine and some food.”

The teen sighed as he stood up and placed the items along with his candy on the counter. The glaring clerk rung it up and Aoi paid for it. He took out his candy and handed the bag to the girl. “Just ask somebody next time.”

She smiled. “Thank you.” Her stomach growled making her blush.

“Want something to eat?”Aoi asked. She looked down and shook her head. “Come on, there’s a diner across the road.”


	4. Chapter 4

            Aoi put down his menu and placed his head on his hands as he looked at the girl sitting across from him still looking over the menu. They were sitting outside at a table with an umbrella over their heads to keep the sun off them. Aoi looked at Kaoru who had sat his menu down and was now sipping his tea. Aoi took a drink of his coke as a waitress walked up to them with a notepad.

“Are you ready to order?”

“Well?” Aoi asked. The girl looked up and the teen could see her mouth watering. “Order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

“But…it’s all expensive.” She mumbled.

He raised an eyebrow. “Even my driver could afford to eat here. Don’t worry, just order what you want.”

“Hey, what do you mean _even_ I can afford to eat here?” The third party asked. “And don’t say ‘my driver’, brat.”

“I mean we pay you plenty enough. Besides, you _are_ my driver.”

“Kitsune odon.” She said happily. The waitress writes it down and looks at the other two.

“Grilled salmon and yakitori.”

“I want some shio ramen.”

The waitress smiled before walking away. Leaving the trio alone. “My friends call me Aoi.”

The girl looked up at him then at the driver, who smiled. “My name Niikura Kaoru.”

She looked down. “Satomi.”

“Ah, Satomi, what a cute name!” Aoi smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

She smiled. “Nice to meet you too.”

***

            Across town, Reita was walking home along the sidewalk humming to a random song he had stuck in his head. He looked up at the red sky. It had been a while since he walked home in the day time since it’s usually dark when he leaves the gym. Which reminds him. He turned and stopped when he saw his tutor a few feet behind him, breathing hard and sweating.

Reita smiled. “You ok?”

“How much longer?” Takanori groaned.

“Another block. If you want to sit down and rest, we can.”

“No, I’ll be okay.” He huffed as he continued to walk.

“You don’t get much exercise do you?”

“I’m not an athlete like you. I can’t just walk five miles with ease. Why the hell didn’t we take the bus?”

“It’s more fun to walk.” Reita smiled as he continued on. They walked in silence, other than Takanori’s huffs for air, all the way to the blonde’s home. Reita opened the door, then threw his shoes off and walked in. Takanori slipped his shoes off as well and sat them neatly to the side. He looked at how messy the teen was, just throwing his shoes where ever, tossing his bags randomly on the floor with his school jacket. He walked to the kitchen to find Reita pulling out two bottles of water and handing one to him. The younger teen gladly took it and chugged it down.

“I bet you’re hungry.”

“We should start on our homework.” Takanori said swiftly. He looked at the table in the dining room beside them. “Your parents won’t mind us studying in here will they?”

“My dad’s at work.” There was a bit of sadness in his voice. “My mom…wouldn’t mind. Though, she wouldn’t be very happy if I allowed my guest to be hungry. I’ll cook us some ramen and we can eat while we get started.”

The chestnut raised a brow at Reita, but pulled his books out and placed them on the table. Reita placed two cups of instant ramen in the microwave, then walked to his book bag to get out his homework too.

“Ok, we’ll start with your reading, then work on history, then on science.” Ruki said, arranging the books. He grabbed one of two small books, which were the same story, and sat it in front of where Reita was about to sit. The dirty blonde looked at the book, then at his tutor.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Practice makes perfect. Read the first chapter, then write what it was about on a piece of paper.”

The microwave sounded, so the blonde took out the cups and placed them on the table, then grabbed chopsticks for them. Ruki opened his math book and started doing problems as Reita opened his book. He looked down at the words and swallowed hard.

***

            Kai was in his kitchen fixing a plate of rice and curry before setting it on a tray. After pouring a glass of coke, he sat it on the tray and carried it to his mother’s room, where she was resting quietly in her bed. He placed it on her lap and sat the drink on her nightstand.

“Thank you.” She whispered. He looked at her swollen face then down at her broken arm. He rubbed his fingers gently on her white cast.

“When are you going to leave him?”

She smiled. “We’ve already talked about this.”

“Mom!” He cried jumping to his feet. “He’s going to end up killing you! You have to divorce him!”

“Yutaka!” She snapped. “I will not leave my husband. He’s just a little sick.”

“He’s not the man you married. He’s a different person now. All he does is come home, beat you, and goes drinking. That is not a husband. He’s a bastard! An asshole who goes off cheating on you and does whatever the fuck he wants.”

She looked away. “He’s my husband.”

“He’s a monster.”

“Go to your room, Yutaka.”

“But…” He whimpered and his mother gave him a stern look. He gave in and left the room, closing the door behind, but before he could turn around a hand wrapped around his mouth as an arm wrapped around his body. He could smell alcohol as his father started speaking behind him.

“Don’t you dare fight back. I’ll go in there and beat that bitch’s ass.” Yutaka glared, but didn’t move or make a sound. “Why don’t we go to your room so I can show you what kind of monster I am?”

***

            Aoi was stretching back as Satomi took her last bite of her meal. She looked at him and smiled as he gave the waitress the payment.

“What do you do?” She asked, but Aoi only hummed and tilted his head to the side with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t you work? I mean you have a lot of money.”

Aoi shook his head. “I’m still in high school, but I get an allowance.”

“Oh, my brother is in high school too.”

“Yeah? What’s his name, maybe I know him.”

“Well…I really don’t want him knowing I was out. I’m not supposed to be.” She scratched her head.

“Aren’t you the little trouble maker?” He laughed, but Satomi looked at him with wide eyes that started to tear up. She placed her head in her palms as she started to cry, shocking the two men. Aoi moved to stand by her and rubbed her back. “What’s wrong?”

_“I-I try to be good. I really do, but I keep getting into trouble. I keep troubling my brother.”_

“Hey now, I was joking, I didn’t mean to upset you. You seem to be very caring girl. He knows you mean good.”

She sniffled. _“You think so?”_

“I bet my fortune on it.” Aoi said softly and she smiled. “I do think you need to be heading home, so he’s not worried. I’ll give you a ride.”

“No that’s ok. I live around the block so it’ll only take me a minute to walk there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Thank you though. And thank you for the food.”

“No problem.” He said straightening up. The waitress handed him his receipt and they started walking out the gate. Aoi waved to Satomi and watched her until she turned the corner. He spoke as they walked back to the car. “She’ll be okay right?”

The butler shrugged his shoulders. “She’s seems like a tough girl. Anyways, now you have to tell your parents that you had dinner without them.”

“I’m grown Kaoru. I eat when I’m hungry, not when it’s convenient for them. Take me home.”

The elder bowed and opened the car door.

***

            Satomi opened the door to her apartment and went straight to the kitchen. She started the soup and pulled down a glass to fill it up with water. When the soup was heated up, she placed the hot bowl on a plate, grabbed the glass and headed to her brother’s room. Balancing everything carefully, Satomi managed to open the door and found Kouyou still laying where she had left him. She noticed a dim light in the corner of the room and spotted Mayu coloring quietly in one of her books. Satomi walked over to her brother and sat down, placing the dishes beside her before she shook her brother’s shoulder.

            “Kouyou?” She whispered. “Wake up Kouyou.”

He grunted as his eyes opened up. “Hey.”

“I made you some soup. Sit up so you can eat. I got you some medicine too.”

The brunette sat up and looked at his sister. “Where did you get it?”

She smiled. “Doesn’t matter, you need to eat.”

“It does! Satomi, did you steal this?” Kouyou asked groggily.

“No! Well, kind of, but let me explain please.”

“I thought I taught you better than that. Never ever steal!”

            “I know, just listen please!” She begged her eyes watering up. “I was going to steal it, but I got caught. A guy was kind and bought it all for me and told me not to do it again. So I didn’t steal it completely. It was given to me. You need it Kouyou, so please eat it.”

Kouyou rubbed his eyes, stress clear in his expression, but seeing his sister begging to the point of crying made him give in. He grabbed the bowl, making her smile as he started eating.

***

            Miyavi walked into his room and closed his door. He dropped his bag of cocaine on his nightstand before plopping in his bed. A knock on his door caught his attention and he looked up as it opened. His brother’s girlfriend walked in, closing the door behind her. She had a smile on her lips as she slowly walked her way over. She climbed over the young teen and smiled purposely showing her cleavage to him.

“So,” She said looking over at his drugs on his nightstand. “How much can we get if I sleep with you.”

The half blonde raised a brow. “Of what?”

“The coke of course.” She giggled. He grazed his hands on her smooth shoulder as she grinded her hips against his, but she yelped when she was thrown on to the floor. “What the hell?”

            “I’m not interested in women.” He said bluntly.

Her face was red with anger and she stood up glaring at him. “Fine then. How much do you want?”

“It’s not for sale.”

“You told your brother to pay you if he wanted some.”

Miyavi sat up. “Yeah, but I don’t want to sell it to him. Go tell him to buy it from a dealer.”

She huffed as she stomped away. “Faggot.” She muttered before slamming the door behind her. He shrugged his shoulders and fell back onto his bed. He looked over at the bag and went to grab it.

 _“Nobody is a lost cause. You just need the right help.”_ Kai’s voice repeated itself in Miyavi’s head. He looked back at the ceiling and gave a sad smile. “Kai, you’re too blind for your own good. I am a lost cause.”

***

            Reita looked up from the book he was trying to read and looked at his tutor. He went to say something, but looked away. Takanori saw the blonde in the corner of his eye and finally acknowledged him.

“What?”

The blonde’s cheeks heated up “I…I’m stuck.”

The chestnut raised a brow. ‘How could he be stuck? It’s a grade school book.’ “On what?”

Reita placed his finger on a word and he mumbled. “What’s does this say?”

Takanori looked at the simple word, then at the other. ‘How the hell did this get ahead in life?’ “Knock. Like I was knocked down earlier today.”

“Oh…wait who knocked you down?”

Takanori rolled his eyes. “Nobody, it was an example.”

“Oh.” Reita mumbled dropping his head with his face growing redder.

Takanori looked at the clock. It was getting late. “What time does your dad get home?”

Reita kept his head down and barely spoke loud enough for his classmate to hear. “I’m not sure. It changes all the time.”

“What about your mom?”

“She…” His voice shook, but he looked up with a smile. “She won’t be home tonight.”

Takanor’s eyes widen. He’s never seen such a sad and broken smile on anybody before. He couldn’t even respond, but he didn’t have to. Reita went back to reading the book to avoid speaking anymore. “Why don’t we start on history?”

            Reita took a moment before nodding and marking his page before closing the book. Takanori closed his math book and pushed it to the side they grabbed their books. They turned to their chapter and Takanori started reading, not wanting to waste time on the other’s reading incapability. As they continued on, he had Reita answer the first question and he was surprised at how quickly the blonde got it and went to the next one.

            Takanori found that despite Reita’s learning disability he was actually a very good listener. As they wrote the answers down, Takanori took in the atmosphere of the home. It was so peaceful, cozy, and stress free, yet there was a hint of depression in it. The only picture in the room was one of Reita and a girl a little older than him above the couch. The coffee table, the tv, and even the walls looked dusty. He looked into the kitchen to find a part of the counter covered in dust along with a few cabinets and the stove. He could tell which places were untouched by the shade of the colors.

‘Does his mother never clean? My mom would have a cow if she saw this.’ Takanori thought.

“What?”

Takanori jumped hearing Reita and realized he had been staring off into space. “Nothing, it’s just quiet. I’m use to hearing some kind of noise in my house. My parents talking, cleaning or something.”

“Do you want me to turn on the radio?” Reita asked.

“No. It’s nice.”

Reita bit his lip before mumbling. “I hate it.”

            Takanori was surprised that the happy easygoing teen could hate something. The younger would kill to have this kind of peacefulness. He could get use to the Suzuki home. He was even given a warm meal which is something he hasn’t had in a long time even if it was instant ramen. How he would love for his parents to leave him alone in the house just once, how he would love for his father to work longer, his mother to have a job and leave him alone. For his brother just live on his own already so he could stop being compared to him. He looked back at the picture above the couch.

“Is that your sister?” Takanori asked

“Yeah.” Reita said.

“She’s pretty. Where is she?”

The blonde muttered. “She’s living with her husband in Kyoto.”

“Does she ever visit?”

“At least once month.” Reita smiled a little. “Why are you asking so many questions all of a sudden?”

Takanori shrugged his shoulders. “Bored I guess. I thought you would be more…eccentric at home.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s not a bad thing. I just wasn’t expecting this.” Takanori said and his eyes locked with the dark orbs of the blonde. He felt so…trapped in those sad eyes. He’s seeing such a different person from school and it was shocking.

***

            The next morning, Kai woke up sore, but he got up and got ready for school. He went to the kitchen to cook breakfast as his mother placed the table. After he was finished, Kai sat down and started eating as best as his jaw would allow. His father sat across from him and started eating as well. Kai stood up, grabbing his book bag from the floor and swung it on his back. He was quick to slip his shoes on and he slammed the door on the way out.

             He stomped down the road, trying to get far away as fast as possible from his house. He turned the block and slowed his pace to take a few breathes. Kai could hear the footsteps running behind him, and he turned with a glare before Miyavi could jump on his back. The half blonde stopped in his tracks when he saw the other’s face. Kai was wearing makeup but Miyavi could see the bruise on his cheek. Not only that, but his lip was cracked, his nose bruised, and his left eye was dark.

            Kai turned and started walking again, but Miyavi grabbed his arm making him hiss as pain shot into his shoulder. Miyavi let go, however, he moved in front of Kai and gently gripped his shoulders.

“Who did this?”

“None of you business.” Kai said, pushing the other away. The half blonde moved in front of his friend again and stopped him.

“Tell me who did this.” Miyavi gently ordered.

“Like I said, it’s none of your business. Just stay out of it.”

            Miyavi grabbed him and carefully pushed him into the wall fencing off homes from the street. “It is if someone is hurting you. Tell me who it is so I can beat the shit out of them.”

Kai quickly turned the odds, pushing the other back and pinning him against the wall. His body pressed against Miyavi as he clenched the half blonde’s shirt. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need you.”

The brunette pushed back and started walking away. Miyavi straightened up. “Kai, you’re my only friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

The brunette stopped and sighed. “I’m not a weakling. I can defend myself just fine. Now hurry up before we’re late.”

***

            Kai and Miyavi walked into the classroom just as the bell rung and they quickly took their seats, but Reita immediately walked to the brunette and gripped his shoulders. The blonde’s face was red and his eyes glaring.

“It’s fine.” Kai said sternly as he pushed Reita’s hands off. “Just a small quarrel.”

“You’re lying.”

All eyes were on them even when the teacher walked in. “Take your seat Suzuki.”

The brunette sighed. “I’ll tell you later.”

            Miyavi felt a pang of jealousy when he heard that. It was ok for Reita to know, but not him. Then the half blonde mentally punched himself. ‘Duh, nobody trusts me. Not even the person trying to help me.’

Reita took his seat and got his book out before the teacher yelled at him. Aoi gave a small smile to Kai before turning back in his seat to find that Kouyou had made it to school today. Kouyou was staring out the window like usual.

***

            It was a normal day, teachers gave out work; PE was testing the students’ bodies; lunch was separated; Takanori was shoved into a trashcan and his books thrown across the room; and Kouyou snuck off with a teacher and did his business. Yep, just a normal day. As the science class came up, they had to decide what project they were doing and turn in the topic. Aoi looked at his partner and smiled.

“Where were you yesterday?”

Kouyou looked at him. “I was doing a few things.”

“Making…money?”

“No. Resting.” The brunette looked at Aoi and smiled. “Let’s get to work. Why don’t we do something with plants? Simple and easy.”

            While they were discussing their ideas, Reita and Takanori were sitting beside each other, but instead of discussing the assignment Reita was watching as Takanori wrote in his notebook.

“What are we— I mean, what are you doing?” Reita asked.

“Which plant grows faster: one in the sun or one in the shade.”

“Sounds boring.” The blonde muttered, but Takanori chose to ignore it. “Hey, why don’t we throw watermelons filled with different liquids off a building and see which one makes a bigger mess.”

“No. We’re sticking with this.”

“Or, we could—”

“I just said no.” Takanori snapped.

“How are we partners if you won’t even let me help you?” He asked loudly, catching the class’s attention. “You go off being all high and mighty, ordering people around like you’re better than them. If you’re assigned a partner then both should be working, not just one. It isn’t fair, so let me help you.”

Takanori just blinked at the blonde. He’s never had someone complain about _not_ doing the work. “Um…okay.”

The blonde smiled and lowered his voice. “Why don’t we hatch chickens from store eggs?”

“Okay.” Takanori said.

“Really? Y-you don’t want to think of something else?” Reita stuttered.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Then I’ll buy all the stuff this weekend. Just make a list of what we need and I’ll get it.” Reita said happily.

“Now who’s doing all the work?” Takanori asked with a straight face.

“Well…I don’t know what we would need…”

“I’ll make the list then.” The chestnut sighed, but gave a small smile.

            “Why didn’t we think of that? It sounds like fun.” Miyavi laughed, but got a grunt from his busy partner. Miyavi frowned and spoke up. “Kai, what would you like me to do?”

“Be quiet.” The brunette said bluntly.

“Sorry.” The half blonde mumbled and started playing with his fingers. “Do you want me to get the supplies? I can get them this weekend. Oh, we can do it all at my house if you want, so you don’t have to deal with it. My brother will leave us alone so we can work in peace and there’s a nice place to eat down the road too. They—”

 _“Do you ever shut up?”_ The brunette yelled, shocking the class. Reita looked at the two with a dropped jaw. Miyavi opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off. “ _What, are you high or something? Why are you being so annoying?”_

“Uke, is there something wrong?” The teachers asked with a slight annoyance.

            Kai’s eyes went wide when he realized what he had done. He looked into the dilated orbs of his science partner to find that he was actually high. Miyavi looked in different directions trying to find something to say. “Sorry.” He whispered, grabbing his book bag and standing up.

“Where are you going, Ishihara?” The teacher asked.

            The teen ignored her and stomped out of class leaving everyone silent. Kai looked to find his classmates staring at him, but he looked down to pretend to work. He was really contemplating running after Miyavi and apologize to him. He really didn’t want to get in trouble though, so he decided to wait until later. At least then he would be cooled off and explain his odd behavior. He was having a shitty day.


	5. Chapter 5

            The weekend came up fast. Kai wanted to talk to Miyavi and apologize, but his science partner hasn’t showed up the past two days. The teen seemed really hurt by Kai’s verbal attack and he felt terrible about it. He decided to go to the office and ask for Miyavi’s address, so he could finally apologize. The administrators know all about Miyavi being a drug addict, so when Kai said all he was trying to do was help, they laughed in his face. One teacher however, did give him the address, which gave him some relief.

“I knew him when I worked in the junior high school” She said, writing on a piece of paper. “I remember him coming up to me and telling me that he was turning into a bad boy. I didn’t understand it until this summer when I found out he was addicted to drugs. Please help him the best you can. He’s such a good kid.”

            Kai smiled and promised to do his best. He walked out to find Aoi leaning on the wall outside. “Reita told me to tell you that if you want one or both of us to come with you, we will. You just need to ask.”

“I’ll be fine, I can take care of myself.”

“Kai.” Aoi was stern. “You and I are extremely close to Rei. He’s very protective of us and doesn’t want us to get hurt. I saw him a couple of days ago when he found out your father beat the crap out of you. He was about to go over and murder your dad. Just don’t do anything reckless. If you get hurt, you know he’ll just find a way of blaming himself.”

The brunette smiled. “How can such a cool, strong and happy guy be so depressing?”

“Can you blame him after what he’s been through?”

“I wish _I knew_ what he’s been through.”

“Oh, does that mean he hasn’t told you?”

Kai sighed. “No, he hasn’t. I wish he would though. How did you get him to tell you?”

“He just trusts me.”

“You’re saying he doesn’t trust me.”

Aoi laughed. “Don’t be so stupid! He trusts you more than anybody. I think it’s because he doesn’t want you worrying about him. Since you have so much to deal with your dad and everything.”

The brunette shook his head. “I think I know something though. Aoi, did his mom leave?”

“Sorry, I promised him I wouldn’t tell a soul, especially you.”

“At least give me a hint.” Kai whined.

“It most definitely has to do with his mother. That’s all I’m going to say unless he tells me otherwise. Now if you want me to give you a ride…”

“No it’s fine.”

“Well, Reita wouldn’t mind walking with you.” Aoi said.

“No, I don’t want to disrupt his practice. You told me his needs it.” Kai said stretching. “I’ll see you on Monday then.”

“Later.” Aoi waved as his friend passed by and muttered to himself. “Time to go home.”

***

            Takanori looked up from his math homework and at the teen shooting hoops on the court. He agreed that he would give Reita an extra hour of practice since it was the weekend and his father didn’t mind him staying out later. However, he looked at his watch to find that an hour and a half has passed, though it was his own fault.

“Suzuki. We need to go study.”

            The blonde shot a hoop and dropped his arms before smiling at the top of the class. “Just a little longer! It’s the weekend and I got hardly any practice in this past week.”

“I let you practice an hour everyday and an extra thirty minutes today. That’s plenty.” Takanori said and closed his book.

“Not for me. I usually practice until the sun goes down and maybe an hour more.”

“How can your body do that? It’s so unhealthy to work out that much.”

“Really?” Reita hummed scratching his head. “I feel fine.”

“That doesn’t mean you are.”

“Are you worried about me?” The athlete giggled.

Takanori glared and looked away, trying to hide his pink cheeks. “No, do whatever you want. It gives me time to work on math.”

Reita shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the ball, but smiled at his friend. “Hey, why don’t you play with me?”

“No thanks.” Takanori shut him down.

“Why not?”

“One, I don’t know how to play; two, I can’t play; three, I’m a curse when it comes to sports; and finally four, I don’t want to nor do I care about playing sports. Just finish up, I want get some sleep tonight.”

Reita hummed. “I could teach you.”

“Not interested.”

“Well, when you are, I can teach you how to play anything. Since you’re helping me and all. I don’t mind helping out with problems you have.”

The chestnut rolled his eyes and started on his math again.

***

            Kouyou grabbed his shirt off the floor and buttoned it back up as his costumer sat the bills on a desk. He watched the man leave before he got up and slipped his pants back on. He counted the bills and sighed.

“This month’s rent can be paid now.” Kouyou whispered to himself as he wiped his cheeks and stuffed the money in his pocket. He walked out the class room and down the hall. He looked out one of the windows to find a pink ball of hair walking to a car and he laughed. “So noticeable, but the same as everybody else.”

            Kouyou headed on home, which took him about fifteen minutes. He walked in to find his sisters doing their homework at the table. They quickly ran to give him a hig before getting back to work. He walked back to the closet in his room and opened it to find his safe. He grabbed the key from his makeup kit and opened it to the money he’s saved up. He took out a few bills and added it to the ones in his pocket.

“What do you have there?”

Kouyou slammed the safe shut at the sound of his mother’s voice. He looked up at her. “Nothing.”

“You’re a terrible liar. No matter, you still have to use your body for my drugs, or I’ll use your sisters.”

“I know.” The brunette whispered with shame. “I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt them.”

The woman smiled as she left the room. Kouyou locked the safe back up, but went through one of his bags until he found a necklace. He placed the key on it, put it on, and hid it under his shirt. He had to protect his sisters. This money was going to get them out of here and get Satomi into private school.

***

            Kai was walking down a rundown street looking for his friend’s house. The place made him uncomfortable and wished he had taken Aoi’s offer for a ride. He took a deep breath and continued on ignoring the drug dealers, druggies, and prostitutes. He finally came across the numbers he was looking for on the mailbox and smiled as he walked up to the house. Kai knocked hard on the door. He really wanted to get inside. He was about to knock again when the door suddenly opened to show a guy in his mid-twenties.

“Yeah, what do you want?”

“Uh…is Miyavi home?” Kai asked.

“Yeah, he’s in his room. Come in.” The man let him in and told him to go down the hall. Kai covered his nose when the strange stench his senses. He stepped into the room that the man had pointed at and his eyes went wide.

            Miyavi was sniffing a white line off his nightstand. The half blonde sniffled a few times before something caught his eye. He looked over and was surprised to see Kai standing there.

“Uh…hey. What are you doing here?” Miyavi asked wiping the remaining dust off the nightstand.

“I was wondering why you haven’t gone to school, but I see why now.” Kai said crossing his arms and glaring at his friend.

“Yeah. Sorry about that. I thought you were still mad at me so I was giving you your space until Monday.”

“Honestly, you should have just came to school. I wanted to apologize for snapping at you. I was having a terrible day and I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

Miyavi smiled. “It’s cool. I was pestering you so I deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t. You were just trying to help out with the project. I shouldn’t have called you out like that.”

            Miyavi sniffled a few times and wiped his nose before standing up. “So, uh…is that all you came here for? I mean if it was, then that was pretty stupid, no offense. I wouldn’t have come here just to apologize if I were you. My neighborhood is dangerous.”

“Well, I didn’t know until I got here.” Kai sighed. “I really don’t want to walk back home in the dark, but it’s getting late.”

“You can stay the night if you want. I don’t mind and I know my brother doesn’t care. We can start on the project tomorrow while we’re together… if you want that is.”

“That sounds good, I just have to tell my mom.” Kai said pulling out his cell phone. He quickly called his mom, who was fine with it and said good night before hanging up. Miyavi sat some clothes on the bed in front of his friend. “Thanks.”

            “No problem. You can sleep in here and I’ll take the couch.”

“No.” Kai said waving his hands. “Its fine, we can share your bed if you want. I don’t want to impose on you.”

Miyavi’s face turned red. “Um…okay. I’m fine with that. I’ll leave so you can change.”

“Thanks.” Kai muttered. He waited until the other was outside before he started slipping out of his own clothes and into Miyavi’s basketball shorts and tank top. He sighed, he really didn’t want to show so much skin, especially since it was covered in bruises. “Okay, I’m done.”

Miyavi came back in, but froze when he saw the discolorations on Kai’s arms and upper chest. “What…” He started, but quickly closed the door for privacy. “What happened?”

The brunette looked away, “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“That’s fine, but that one on your shoulder looks nasty. Does it hurt?” Miyavi asked

“A little.”

            “Hang on.” Miyavi stepped out of the room again. Kai took this opportunity to sit down on the bed and relax a bit. It didn’t take long for Miyavi to return and he was holding a white box with a white patches inside. He pulled a packet out as he sat down and gently smiled. “I need to move the strap okay.”

Kai shook his head and Miyavi moved it to lay a patch on the injured skin. “What is that?”

“A heating pack. It should help a little bit. Do you have any more bruises?”

The brunette looked away. “I…”

            Miyavi gently pushed his friend to where he was laying down. Miyavi carefully lifted the shirt to see blue and purple splotches all over Kai’s torso. A similar bruise was on his ribs, another on his lower stomach and one on his chest. Miyavi glared, but pulled out a few patches and covered the injuries up. “Turn over.” 

            Kai did carefully to show two more large bruises on his back. Miyavi covered them up as well before pulling the shirt down. He helped the brunette sit up then caressed his friend’s face. He moved his hands down and rubbed Kai’s shoulders before pulling him into a gentle hug. “I’m not as stupid as you think. I know those were made by being kicked. You don’t have to tell me what happened, but please, if you need help, tell me. There will always be a bed here for you and I’ll protect you.”

“I don’t need…”Kai bit his lip and dropped his head. He whispered with a shaky voice. “Thank you.”

“Do you have any more injuries?”

“Yeah, but I’d rather not show you.”

“Why?” Miyavi questioned, but looked down where Kai was pointing and blushed a bit, then cringed. “A-are you okay?”

“I’ll live.” Kai yawned, rubbing his eyes.

“Let’s go to bed.” Miyavi suggested. He pulled the blankets up and they both slipped in before he turned the lights off.

***

            Aoi scratched the back of his head as he walked through the door. He started up the stairs, but was stopped by his butler.

“Your parents want you at the dinner table. We have guests tonight.”

Aoi sighed, but handed his things over to Kaoru and headed to the dining room. He could hear people talking and groaned, but walked in anyways. Aoi found his parents talking to another couple and a girl his age. He sat across from her catching their attention.

“Yuu, we thought you weren’t going to make it.” His mother joked. “These are the Yamada family. This is their daughter Natsumi.”

He bobbed his head, earning a smack from his father. “Show some respect.”

            Aoi just rolled his eyes and looked at the teen across from him. She was smiling at him and winked, but he just sighed. She wasn’t his type. She seemed spoiled and had a stuck up attitude. As they started with dinner and their conversations, the girl only wanted to talk about herself and her money which is actually her parents’ money. The more she opened her mouth, the more Aoi felt like ripping his own ears off. It felt like a century for dinner to be over for him.

“So Yuu…” she sung. “We should totally go on a date.”

“I don’t think so.” Aoi said nonchalantly.

“Why not?” She whined.

“You’re annoying and I don’t like that.”

“Yuu!” Father yelled slapping his son’s head, which didn’t affect him at all.

            The girl glared at him, which didn’t faze him either. “Daddy let’s go, this guy is a total jerk!” She stomped her way to the door as Aoi’s father apologized to their guests. Her parents forgave them and headed out before their daughter had a meltdown and blew up. Aoi’s father returned to the table with a glare.

“What is wrong with you? We try to set you up with a nice girl and you disrespect her.”

“I don’t need you to play match maker. I’m perfectly fine with finding my own girlfriends.”

“Look at your hair! Your clothes! You’re smoking now! All your girlfriends are terrible influences on you!” He shouted.

Aoi rolled his eyes. “No they’re not. I do this cause _I_ want to. My last girlfriend broke up with me because I dyed it pink. I make my own choices.”

“Not anymore.” The elder grumbled. “You will date the girls we set you up with.”

“No I won’t. You think you know what’s best for me, but you don’t!” Aoi shouted earning a slap to the face.

“You need to start looking for a wife. Now we gave you a chance to do it on your own and you blew it, so now we have set several girls for you to look at.”

“You can’t do this! I’m not going to marry or date anybody you choose! I don’t know them!”

“You will get to know them and you will be happy.” His father threatened.

“I can’t date any of them!”

“And why not?” His mother finally spoke up.

“Because...because…I have a girlfriend.”

“Oh really. Well, that’s too bad. Break up with her.”His father order.

“You can’t tell me to break up with her! You don’t even know her.”

“Sir, if I may.” Kaoru spoke up very politely. His father waved for him to continue. “Why don’t you have dinner with Yuu and his girlfriend first before you force him split with her? She could be the one. You won’t know unless you give them a chance.”

His father sighed rubbing his eyes. “Fine. Tuesday night, have her here for dinner. I want to meet her. You’re excused.”

            Aoi went to speak up, but his butler grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him away. The teen stomped up to his room and groaned as he fell onto his bed. “Why is he making me look for a wife when I haven’t even started college?”

“He’s just impatient, that’s all. Now I hope you prepare her for dinner on Tuesday.”

“Oh fuck.” Aoi sat up and clenched his head.

“What is it?”

“I don’t have girlfriend. Shit what am I going to do?” He whimpered.

His butler sighed and shook his head. “Find one.”

***

            Miyavi woke up feeling quite warm and something heavy on his chest. He looked down to find a brown ball of hair under his chin. He felt his face burn with the thought of Kai sleeping on top of him.

“Um…Kai?” He whispered, gently shaking his friend. “Kai wake up.”

The brunette groaned as he lifted his head and glared up at Miyavi before rolling completely over the other’s body. Kai snuggled up against him before dozing off again. Miyavi swallowed hard before caressing the Kai’s face and moving his other hand down the brunettes body. As he got lower, he closed his eyes and placed his hand on his friend’s butt. He squeezed it before massaging it and then he got brave enough to slip his hand into Kai’s shorts. He shivered at how soft the skin was, how smooth and healthy it was. He gave one last squeeze before yanking his hand out.

            “I’m such an idiot. I can’t touch him like this. I can’t touch him. I can’t touch him.” Miyavi whispered over and over before gripping his friend’s shoulder and shaking it. “Kai, wake up.”

“Mmm.” He groaned as he sat up and looked at the half blonde. He blinked a few times at him before he noticed something. “Miyavi, why are you under me?”

The other laughed and rubbed his friend’s head. “You rolled on top of me silly.”

“I’m so sorry!” Kai shouted rolling off, but he went the wrong way and went off the bed. Miyavi reached to grab him, but his lack of balance and the other pulling him down made him fall as well. “Ow!”

“Sorry!” Miyavi popped up and looked down at his friend, who he landed flat on top of. “Are you ok?”

The brunette sighed. “I’m fine.”

            He looked up to find their faces close, their bodies pressing against each other. Miyavi moved down, placing his arm beside the Kai’s head, their faces grew red as they got closer together. Their lips shook as they brushed against each other and their eyes closed, ready for the feeling.

“Hey Takamasa—” Miyavi’s brother walked in and gave a small gasp, but smiled. “Sorry to interrupt. Just wondering if I could bum a joint of you, that is, if you don’t give it to him.”

The half blonde groaned as he stood up. He opened his dresser and grabbed one, then stomped to his brother. He placed it in his brother’s hand and pushed him out. “Now leave us alone.”

“Sure, but hey, you could have told me you know. I’d rather not hear from my girlfriend that you’re gay. Which reminds me, is that how you’re getting your drugs? Are you selling yourself—”

“Shut the fuck up.” Miyavi said coldly. “I actually pay with real cash to get my stuff. I don’t use my body nor would I use my lover if I had one. Unlike some people.”

“You little shit head.” His brother said glaring at his brother.

“Miyavi?” Kai called softly. The half blonde slammed the bedroom door in his brother’s face.

“Sorry about that.”

“You’re…gay?”

            Miyavi dropped his head, refusing to look at his friend. “Please…don’t tell anyone. I already get enough crap from school, I don’t want my sexuality to be used as ammo too. I’m sorry it makes you uncomfortable. I guess I should have told before last night, huh?”

“Well, yeah. It would have been nice to know, but I’m not gonna hate you for it.” Kai said as he stood up. He smiled as Miyavi turned around. “I’m glad you’re opening up to me at least a little bit. It would be nice to have your trust. It’ll make us better friends.”

“You really think of us as friends? You don’t see me as burden?”

“Of course not and I wouldn’t be helping you out if I wasn’t your friend.” The brunette laughed.

 Miyavi stared at him with watery eyes. “Thank you, Kai.”


	6. Chapter 6

            As the sun shone through the window, the two girls in the bed awoke from it shining on their faces. Mayu groaned as she sat up and she rubbed her eyes. She looked over to find her brother gone and her sister still asleep. She tried crawling over her, but Satomi woke up.

“What are you doing Mayu?” She groaned.

“Koukou is gone. I’m hungry.”

The older girl sighed as she sat up. “I’ll get you something, come on.” They got out of bed and walked out to the living room to find their mother sitting on the couch texting on her phone. They walked to the dining table where Kouyou was writing on some paper.

“Koukou, I’m hungry.” Mayu pouted as she crawled onto her brother’s lap.

The brunette sighed, but smiled and hugged his sister. “I was just making a grocery list. Do you want to come with me?”

“But I want to eat!” The fourth grader whined.

“I know.” Kouyou patted her head. “I’ll make you something in a minute.”

“Mayu, let’s go clean up and then we can go to the store with him.” Satomi suggested.

“Okay.” Mayu said sadly as she jumped off his lap and ran down the hall. The junior high schooler looked at her stressed brother and smiled. Kouyou smiled back, but frowned when she left. He looked down at the scarce list and costs. They were tight on cash this month, he had to find more costumers or his sisters won’t eat next week. He gripped his hair and bit his lip, trying to hold back his tears.

***

            Reita woke up, scratching his head and yawning. The dirty blonde laid in bed for a little longer before his stomach decided it was time to get up. He stretched his sore muscles and rubbed his aching shoulders. He stepped out of his bed groaning at the muscle pains in his calves and he limped out the door. He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed his last cup of ramen.

            “I have to go to the store anyways. Might as well shop for food.” He mumbled, putting the ramen in the microwave. He gasped when he realized he forgot to take his medicine and made a dash up to his room, but lost his footing on the top step. He grunted as he face planted the floor, but got up and limped to his room. He quickly stuffed down his morning meds.

            He sighed with relief as he placed the medicine container in his nightstand and started heading back down to eat. The ramen was done when he got to it, so he started eating, but before he could sit down, the door bell rung. He sat his food down and opened the door to find his tutor standing there with his arms crossed.

“Um…Matsumoto. What are you doing here?”

The chestnut sighed. “I told my father that you were buying the supplies for the project, but he said I shouldn’t trust you. So I told him I was going with you and since I don’t have anything better to do, other than study, I figured it was a good idea.”

“Oh…um, come in.” Reita said and moved to the side for his tutor. Takanori moved and removed his shoes before walking in. “Sorry, I’m eating right now. I also need to take a shower, I hope you don’t mind. You can watch tv or listen to the radio if you want.”

“I’m fine, just continue with your morning.”

The dirty blonde smiled. “Have you ate?”

Takanori sighed. “I’m fine.” But his stomach had the worst timing. Akira grabbed the cup of ramen off the table and handed it over. Takanori reluctantly took it, but he didn’t move to eat any.

“I only took a few bites, I could get you some different chopsticks if you want.”

“It’s fine, thank you.” The tutor gave a small smile. Reita just bobbed his head and watched as the chestnut took a bite, then he started up the stairs. “Hey, aren’t you going to eat?”

“Oh, that was my last one. I hope you don’t mind if we do a little grocery shopping while we’re out.”

“Wait…”Takanori started, but his student had already ran upstairs. He looked down at the noodles and sighed. “Why are you so nice to me?”

***

            Kouyou sat the plates for breakfast on the table as his sisters sat down. Their mother joined them and took the third plate. Satomi looked at her brother, who started washing the dishes.

“Where’s yours?”

The brunette smiled. “I’m not hungry. Go ahead and eat up.”

She looked at him funny, but started back on her meal. Her brother finished up the kitchen and walked back to his room to change into some clothes. He pick his white buttoned up shirt that had thin stripes on it and some blue jeans. He turned to the mirror and smiled, but it slowly faded. His shoulders shook as he leaned against the wall and started crying.

            He slid down to his knees and silently wept. He held his body tightly as he leaned over and placed his head on the floor. He gasped when he felt a hand on his back. He looked up at the mirror to find Satomi kneeling beside him with a soft smile on her face. She moved in front of him and lifted him into a hug.

“It’s okay.” She whispered. “It’ll get better. I’ll make sure of that. You need to let it all out sometimes instead of keeping it all in.”

He pulled away and rubbed her face while wiping the tears off his. “I’m okay. I just lost my cool for a second there. Are you done eating?”

She sighed. “No.”

“Okay, go finish, and um…we can all go to the store.”

“Come eat with us.” She whimpered. “I’ll give you some of mine. Just eat something.”

            Kouyou gave her a smile and bobbed his head. They walked out to the dining room where he sat at the table as his sister brought another plate to him. She placed a piece of toast on her brother’s plate along with half her eggs and bacon. Kouyou gave her soft smile as he started eating.  

“Kouyou, I have guests coming over soon. Don’t stay out too long, I may need you to service them.” His mother said smoothly.

Satomi slammed her fists into the table and stood up. “No! I’m sick of you using him for your drugs! Why don’t get off your lazy ass and work so you can actually pay for this apartment instead of him! Or at least pay for your own stuff! Haven’t you put him through enough hell? Do you know what he does to feed us, to keep a roof over our heads?”

“Satomi!” Kouyou snapped at her, but held a calm voice. “Stop it.”

“No!”

“Enough!” Their mother stood and looked down on them. “I don’t want to listen to this. Kouyou, do your business and get home.”

“No!” Satomi shouted again. “He shouldn’t have to go through this!”

“How else do you expect us to pay off our debt?” Their mother sighed. “They certainly won’t take my body and I can’t get a job. So Kouyou volunteered for it.”

“Debt? Kouyou, what debt?”

The brunette looked down. “It’s nothing for you to be concerned about. I’ll take care of it. Please, just finish so we can go to the store.”

“But Kouyou!”

“Please.” His voice was full of desperation and it silenced his sister.  She sat back down along with her mother and they continued eating in silence. Mayu looked up at her brother then down at the food. She was tired of eating the same things over and over, but she didn’t think it was the best time to speak up about it.

***

            Takanori was sitting on Reita’s couch, staring at the empty cup of ramen on the coffee table. He could hear the shower still running upstairs, like it has been for the past ten minutes.

“He takes the longest shower.” He mumbled, standing up. He grabbed the cup and threw it away before heading up the steps. The only hallway was to the left and it had four doors. Two on one side, one on the other and one on the end. Walking down the hardwood floor, he heard the shower going on the single door on the left. One of the doors on the right wall was closed, while the other was opened.

            Curiosity getting to him, Takanori walked to the room and looked in. It was a regular teenager room with posters of bands and sports players on the walls. The bed was a simple wooden frame with a dark blue comforter and pillows. The nightstand beside it was wood and had a lamp sitting on it along with a picture of a woman and a small boy. To the side was a closet, beside it was a dresser with a soccer ball, basketball, and some pictures that looked like family photos, but none were recent.

            One photo was of the same woman except her belly was huge and a man was sitting on a swing next to her. Another was one of her laying in a hospital bed, the man beside her, both smiling as she held a baby wrapped in a pink blanket. The next photo was of a similar room, the same couple except a little girl was with them and the woman was holding a baby wrapped in blue.

            Takanori looked at them all, especially the one where they were under a tree, the dad was holding the girl’s hand while the mom was holding the boy, who was a few years old, in her arms. They were all happy. There was one that was just of the mom and the boy, who looked about nine or ten, they were hugging and smiling. Then, the pictures of her stopped and it seemed to have skipped several years. Some photos were of Reita and his sister, then one or two of the dad and then one of all three of them. Behind them all was a photo album.

            He picked it up and looked out at the hall. The shower was still going, so he sat on the bed and opened the album. Many were of a small boy and of the family like the ones on the dresser. He flipped through the pages, until a sudden switch of pictures. He looked at one that looked like a younger version of Reita. There seemed to have been a photo missing between the years.

            Reita was in a hospital bed, looking out the window of the room. He was wearing a soft blue shirt while the rest of him was covered in a blanket. His expression looked so…lost and dead. The next photo was of him in a wheelchair and his sister was standing beside him, forcing a smile. His expression was the same. Blank. Emotionless. Takanori felt something strange in his chest, but didn’t have a chance to think about it when he realized the shower had turned off.

            Takanori quickly closed the album and sat it on the dresser, then turned to find Reita teen walking in wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and another on his head. The shorter felt his face heat up. Reita froze seeing Takanori in his room.

“Um…sorry. You were taking so long and I just kind of stumbled in here.” The chestnut mumbled. Reita walked to him and looked at the photos on the dresser. None had been moved. “Is this your family?”

“Yeah.” The blonde mumbled.

“Your mom is beautiful.”

“Yeah.” He mumbled again.

Takanori felt uncomfortable. “I’ll be downstairs.”

Reita watched as the other left then looked at his photo album, he saw that it had been moved. He looked back at the door then walked to his nightstand and opened the drawer. He sighed in relief when he saw that nothing had been messed with and was thankful he put his medicine in it so the other wouldn’t see.

***

            Kouyou was with his sisters shopping at the supermarket. Mayu had ran down the aisle while the brunette was looking at a few boxes of macaroni, seeing which was cheaper. The young girl ran back and tossed a box of cookies in the cart.

Kouyou sighed as he pulled them out. “I’m sorry Mayu, but we don’t have the money for this. I’ll try to get them for you next time. Okay?”

The little girl glared at him and turned away with a ‘humph’. She ran down the aisle again, this time bringing back some snack cakes, but Kouyou took them away from her. She yanked the box back and threw it back into the cart. “I want some!”

“You can’t Mayu, we don’t have the money.”

“Why not?” She whined, waiting for an answer, but her brother just took the box out. “I can’t ever have what I want.” She mumbled before turning away.

            Kouyou rubbed his head before he continued down the aisle. Satomi finally ran up to them with the things he told her to get. He quickly marked them off his list and they headed for the checkout line. As the items were being scanned he looked down at his sisters and smiled. “Why do we buy you two some candy?”

Mayu glared at him and turned away, while Satomi politely shook her head. “Nah, we can live without it.”

He shook his head and waited for the cashier to finish. He pulled out the appropriate amount and paid the man before taking a few bags. Satomi grabbed some, while Mayu grabbed one and they headed out to the bus stop, making it just in time to catch it. Kouyou sat on one side while his sisters sat on the other. He smiled at them, but didn’t get a smile from Mayu, which hurt, even though he didn’t show it.

            The trio arrived back to their apartment and headed up. Kouyou opened the door to find three men sitting on the couch with their mother sitting on the arm of the sofa. They walked to the kitchen and she followed, stepping in as they started putting the groceries away.

“Kouyou, let your sisters finish, we have a few things to discuss.” She smiled as she spoke venom. He shuddered, but left his sisters to walk to the three men. They looked like business men in their black suits, but the brunette knew better. He knew that these men were yakuza and came for their monthly payment from their mother, or more like from him.

He looked down. “I don’t have any money this month. I…I’ll go get some clothes and we can leave.”

            One stood up and stopped him. His age showed in the balding of his gray hair, but he was still strong and toned. He was a few inches taller than Kouyou, but twice his size. The two other men were younger, obviously his bodyguards. One had his hair gelled back, a goatee, a rough face with small eyes and thin lips. The other was younger, but bald and had a scar going down his left cheek

“This is the third time” The oldest man said.

“I-I know. I’m sorry, but I have to pay rent, and—ah!” He yelped when the old man yanked his shirt, ripping four of the six buttons off exposing his chest. He threw Kouyou to the ground and looked at his men as he lit a cigarette. The teen sat up a little, making his shirt drop down to his elbows, where it was caught.

            “Fuck him.” The man ordered. The two men stood up, only to bend over and pull the brunette’s pants off.

 _“Stop it!”_ Kouyou shouted as he fought back, but they proceeded to pull his boxers off and flip him over. He looked up to find Satomi covering her sister’s face as she looked at him in fear. “ _Go! Go to your room! Don’t watch!”_

They raised the brunette’s hips as they started unbuckling their pants. Kouyou dug his fingers into the carpet as he felt the men grinding against him, trying to get hard. Satomi ran to her mother and started shaking her. “Stop them! You can’t let them do this!”

Her mother pushed her back. “I can and I am. You better be thankful that they’re not doing this to you instead.”

            Satomi clenched her teeth and ran to the kitchen where she grabbed a pan out of the cabinet. She ran back in and struck the bald man. _“Get off my brother!”_

The older man slapped her across the face, making her fall back. Kouyou yelled as he turned over and punched the old man in the face, but he grabbed the Kouyou’s arm and threw him back onto the floor. The elder man gripped Kouyou’s hair and pulled him back, throwing him towards the hallway. He landed on his side, his legs crossed and shirt still hooked on his elbows. Mayu ran in and covered her brother’s head with her body. “L-leave him alone! He didn’t do anything to you!”

            Satomi got to her feet and ran to her brother’s aid as well. She stood in front of him with her arms held open. “Stay away from him!”

Kouyou’s body shook as he sat up, moving his youngest sister to the side. He sat on his knees, the shirt barely covering his privates. “Sa-Satomi, take your sister. Go to the park or to your friend’s house for a bit.”

“No!” The young girl shouted. “They’ll hurt you!”

“No they won’t.” They all turned at the new voice in the room. Kyo was standing in the door way holding a baseball bat. “You old geezers better leave those kids alone.”

“Or what?” One of the guards asked, stepping up to the shorter man.

“Or I’ll beat your faces in.”

“They owe us payment.” The elder man said sternly. “I suggest you leave.”

“How much?”

“No, Kyo, please…” Kouyou whimpered. “I can pay. You don’t have to.”

“Shut up kid.” Kyo snapped and walked further in and pulling out a wad of cash from his back pocket. “This should be sufficient.”

The man took the money and counted it, then handed two bills back. “Paid.”

            The leader signaled his men to walk out with him. After they left, Kyo turned to find the two girls crying in their brother’s arms. He sighed as he kneeled beside them. “I think you girls should go to the kitchen while your brother puts his pants back on. It’s not very appropriate you know.”

They shook their heads and Satomi lead her sister out of the room while their neighbor handed Kouyou’s pants over. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back, I just need some time.”

“Don’t worry about it. I had put that away in case you kids needed it. When I heard all the screaming I figured something like this had happened.”

“Well, now that your business is done, get out.” Their mother said sharply. Kyo stood up and got as close to her face as possible.

“I should call the cops on you and have them take your kids away from you.”

“No!” Kouyou whimpered. “You can’t. I promised to take care of them. Please, I’m all they have.”

Kyo kept his glare as he spoke. “Call me if you need me kid, you know where I’ll be.”

The brunette shook his head as he slipped on his pants and stood up to lead him out the door. After it was shut he let out a shaky breath and fell to the floor. Kouyou could imagine the pain he would be in right now if Kyo hadn’t come and it scared him. His sisters almost got hurt too and it would have been his fault. He has to find a way to get away from here, a way to help his sisters, a way to keep them safe.

***

            Reita and Takanori where at the grocery store, getting the things they needed for the project as well as food for the blonde. The chestnut followed behind the other as he pushed the cart down the aisles.

“Since you’ll be coming pretty much all week, what would you like to eat? I don’t mind buying it for you so you’re not stuck eating ramen all the time.”

Takanori raised a brow and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t care.”

“Well, I can’t cook, so it’ll have to be something instant.”

“Hey, Suzuki?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you shopping for food? And what do you mean you can’t cook? Shouldn’t your mom be doing all of that?”

            The blonde stopped in his tracks and dropped his head. Takanori suddenly regretted asking, but Reita raised his head back up with a smile. “I haven’t ate frozen pizzas in a while. We could do that if you don’t mind. I do know how to make grilled cheese, have you ever had it? It’s really good. Oh and with tomato soup, it’s good that way too.”

Takanori was annoyed that his questions were ignored, but then he thought it was for the best. “So, do your parents travel or something? I mean they haven’t been around any this week. I would believe if they worked late, but I didn’t see them this morning either and usually people who work all week have the weekends off.”

“Pizza and grilled cheese sounds really good. We’ll have to pick up the stuff for it. I guess I need to buy some cereal and some milk. Oh, and some more ramen of course. Which are your favorite flavors?”

“Are you ignoring me?” Takanori asked already knowing he was.

“I like chicken the best, beef is pretty good too. Oh and teriyaki is delicious!”

“I’m going to go play in traffic now.”

“Maybe some…huh? Why would you do that?” Akira asked finally turning to face the chestnut.

“Because you’re ignoring my questions.” Takanori sighed, but the other just cocked his head, playing dumb. “Oh forget it, let’s just hurry up and head back.”

            They continued walking in silence throughout the store, gathering the things they needed. As they walked up to pay for everything, Reita pulled out a debit card and swiped it in the machine, catching Takanori’s attention. ‘A card? My dad never lets me use his. Is he loaded? Where the hell are his parents and why they hell is he shopping for himself? Suzuki, you’re a huge mystery.’

            They grabbed the bags and headed outside, where they had to cross the street to get to the bus stop. The walking signal on, so Takanori proceeded to walk with Reita behind him along with a few other people. Down the road though there was car speeding their way wasn’t slowing, in fact the driver wasn’t paying attention and was texting on his phone. The driver looked up and slammed on his brakes when he saw the pedestrians, but it wasn’t fast enough.

            Takanori gasped and squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the impact. He felt his body slam onto the ground and something land on top of him. He could hear people around him, but his head pounded from the contact with the ground. Takanori blinked a few times to find the car’s back tires beside him and people looking at him from a crowd. A grunt caught his attention and he felt the weight lifting off his body. He looked up to find Reita looking down at him and as his senses came back to normal he felt the other’s hand on his cheek .The muffled voice suddenly clearer as well as all other noises around him.

            “Are you ok?” Reita asked for the third time, rubbing the younger’s cheek. Takanori grunted, but shook his head and moved to sit up. The blonde moved to give him more space, but then he got up and was suddenly attacking the driver. Reita grabbed the man’s shirt and slammed him into the car. “ _What the hell were you thinking? You could have killed him!”_

“Su…Suzuki.” Takanori whimpered as reality sat in. The car that was stopped mere inches away from him was far passed the white lines. He was dead in its path and Reita tackled him just in time. At the speed the car was going, Takanori would have surely been dead, if not, seriously injured. His body shook, his stomach churned, and he started to hyperventilate. “Su…Su…zu…” He hugged himself as he puked up his stomach. Reita looked over and let the man go before kneeling beside his tutor.

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

Takanori shook his head. “J-just…shaking…”

“You need to breathe and calm down. You’re having a panic attack.” A woman said gently as she sat beside them. “Just breathe ok.”

            Reita pulled the younger against him and started rubbing his head. “It’s ok. You’re alright. Calm down, okay?”

Takanori closed his eyes and nuzzled his head into the blonde’s neck. He found the other’s scent very calming as well as being his arms and listening to his soothing voice. This was the first he’s been so close to somebody physically and enjoyed it. He wanted it to last just a little bit longer.

“Do you want me to carry you back?” Reita asked gently.

As much as it annoyed him, Takanori knew he meant well by it, but shook his head ‘no.’ “I’m fine.”

            The blonde helped him up as some other people handed their groceries to them. Reita kept his arm around the other’s waist and took all the bags before they started walking out of the street. As much as the chestnut hated it, he also kind of liked it, he also knew if he tried to walk on his own, he might fall since his body was still pretty shaky. They went on, completely forgetting about the driver, but the other pedestrians would take care of him. In the mean time, they headed back to Reita’s home.


	7. Chapter 7

            The weekend had rushed by in a blink of an eye and it was once again Monday. It was the usual morning for Aoi. He got up, got ready, had a tense breakfast with his parents, and headed to school. He walked past everybody like usual and headed to the gym. Walking in, he found it strange that he didn’t hear his friend, but he continued inside where he found the blonde sitting on the floor. He raised a brow and walked closer to find him rubbing his leg.

“You ok?”

Reita looked up and smiled. “Yeah, just a leg cramp.”

“I think you finally overdid yourself. Come on, you’re finished for the day.” Aoi said offering his hand, which was gladly accepted. He helped the blonde walk to the locker room. As they entered, they heard something unexpected.

            “Fuck yes!” Someone moaned. The two looked at each other before Aoi helped sat the blonde down. He snuck over to where the sound came from and had to cover his mouth from gasping. Kouyou was on his hand and knees, his pants around his ankles, taking it form a fellow student from behind while sucking off another. One looked up and jolted. “Damn!”

The other pulled out of the brunette’s mouth and turned. The two boys fastened their pants and ran out, leaving a glaring Kouyou. Reita watched in confusion as the two boys ran out of the room, fixing their pants.

“Damn it!” The brunette shouted. He got to his feet, wiped the tears off his cheeks, and pulled his pants up. “Thanks a lot Shiroyama. You just scared my money away.”

Aoi watched as the other pulled up his pants and fixed his uniform. “Um…sorry?”

            Kouyou kissed his teeth as he walked out, but gasped when he saw the blonde sitting on a bench. His face turned red and he glared back Aoi. He clenched his teeth before rushing out the doors, leaving the two boys puzzled.

“What was that all about? What were they doing?”

Aoi rubbed his head. “Nothing. Go take your shower, the bell is about to ring.”

***

            Kai was walking with Miyavi into the school. The brunette smiled as he looked up at the taller and found that he wasn’t high that day. He turned his head forward as they made their way into the building and he watched as people stared at them with wide eyes. Or well, more like they were staring at Miyavi. He was acting different today, he was calm and just mellowed out. Usually he’s hyper and a non-stop talking machine.

            The two made their way up to their class when they spotted a kid being bullied by Die and his gang. It didn’t take but a second to realize that it was Takanori. The small boy was being held against the locker as Die started ripping up the younger’s papers and books. Kai growled as he ran up to them.

“Hey, knock it off!” He pushed the one holding Takanori away. The kid straightened up his jacket before popping his knuckles.

“Yo, Die. I think it’ll piss Reita off if we beat this kid’s face in. They are good friends.”

The raven laughed. “Good thinking Toshiya, do it.”

“Touch either of them and you’re dead.” Miyavi said, standing between them. He looked back to see Kai holding the chestnut up, but looked back at the four boys in front of him. Die, his best friend Toshiya, and their two lackeys for the day.

“What are you going to do about it? Get your drug dealer friends to hurt us?” Die laughed.

The half blonde smiled. “Well, one of them does owe me a favor.”

They looked into his glaring eyes and swallowed hard. Die looked away. “I’m bored with you. I have to make sure to get my other targets, I don’t want them feeling neglected.”

            They watched as the four bullies walked away before turning to each other. Kai started picking up the papers on the floor. “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the clinic?”

The younger sighed as he picked up his torn papers. “I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

They looked up as Reita kneeled down and started grabbing the books off the floor. Takanori sighed. “Nothing. I just tripped.”

Reita looked up, knowing that there was more and he gave a look at Kai telling him to talk about it later. The brunette shook his head before he stood up. The athlete did the same as did the other two. “Okay then. If there’s something wrong tell me.”

            Takanori bobbed his head, taking all the supplies and shoving them in his bag. “Thank you.” He looked up at the magenta boy who had been standing the whole time. He seemed distracted by something down the hall, but the chestnut ignored it. Kai handed the last book over and looked down at the younger’s bandaged hand.

“Ah, Matsumoto-kun, what happened?”

Takanori put his book away and shrugged as he turned to go into the classroom. Kai and Miyavi sighed before they followed. Reita started in, but found Aoi not moving. “Hey, you all right?”

The magenta boy looked back. “Yeah, let’s get in before the bell rings.” The blonde shook his head and walked in as his friend took one more look down the hall. One more look at the brunette busy seducing one of the teachers with his looks and voice. Kouyou turned his head as the teacher started sucking on his neck. He opened his eyes to find Aoi staring at him, but closed them again as he grinded against the teacher.

 _‘_ Why do you always see me like this Shiroyama-san?’ He thought. ‘Why are the only one who catches me? Why do I think only about you when I’m being taken? What have you done to me?’

            Sitting down, Takanori looked at both his bandaged palms. A faint blush appeared when he remembered what happened on Saturday. He looked from his text book and towards the blonde who was talking to Kai. He looked back down and rubbed his left palm as he closed his eyes

            _The two had made it back to Reita’s home and walked in. The blonde sat his tutor on the couch before dropping the bags onto the floor and getting on his knees. He carefully removed Takanori’s shoes and placed them to the side before looking at the younger._

_“Are you sure you’re not hurt anywhere?”_

_The chestnut sighed and scratched his head, about to say no, but he flinched from the stinging sensation on his hand. He took a look at it to find it scraped up, then he looked at his other to find it the same way. “I thought I was ok.”_

_Reita looked at the hands before getting up. “I’ll be right back.” He took off upstairs, leaving the younger alone on the couch. Takanori looked at his hands again to find that he was still shaking. He closed them into fists and looked at the bags on the floor. He wondered how much stuff was crushed because of what happened, but he didn’t have to think more because Reita suddenly appeared again with a first aid kit. The blonde sat on his knees and took one of the chestnut’s hands. He opened the box up, took out a brown bottle, and opened it. He gently poured it on the scrapes, making the younger jolt and pull away._

_“It burns! Why did you do that?”_

_“Sorry. It’s peroxide. It’s to clean the cuts out so they won’t get infected. I guess I should have warned you. I’m sorry.”_

_“No, no. I’m sorry, you’re just trying to help.” Takanori mumbled, giving his hand back. “I shouldn’t have snapped on you like that.”_

_The blonde smiled as he continued on, wiping the younger’s hands and wrapping them in a bandage. “I’d hate for this to scar. You have beautiful hands. They’re soft too.”_

_Takanori blushed, but gave him his other hand. “Please! I have woman hands! I hate them. I’m always getting made fun of because of them.”_

_“No they’re not. They’re just on the small side. They’re cold and they’re soft, too.”_

_“I guess they match my personality.” Takanori shrugged._

_“Cold hands, warm heart.” The blonde said softly. “I guess that means you’re very caring and kind.”_

_The chestnut pulled his hands away. “Yeah, right.”_

_Reita smiled as he stood up. “I bet you would have tons of friends if you came out of your shell. I mean, we’re already friends and it’s only been a week.”_

_“We’re not friends.” Takanori said coldly._

_The blonde’s eyes got wide and he looked down as he stood up. He took a step back and rubbed his neck. “Oh.” He muttered._

_The chestnut suddenly felt bad. “I mean, we’re not friends…yet. Uh…I feel comfortable around you now and I know you’re not as bad as I first thought. Maybe a little longer before we start saying we’re friends.”_

_Reita looked up and smiled. “Okay. I’m glad…that you don’t hate me.”_

            Takanori closed his hands and looked back. Reita was sitting on the desk talking to the other three boys. Aoi and Miyavi were dying of laughter while Kai’s face was blood red, and Reita was smiling wholeheartedly. The chestnut turned, wanting to join in on the conversation, but then he felt like he wouldn’t belong and that he would be intruding. He started turning back in his chair when the blonde looked over and their eyes locked.

Reita smiled. “Hey Matsumoto-san, come join us.”

The other three looked at him with shock, then looked at the younger who was equally surprised by the invite. He moved in his chair a bit, but they were looking at him, waiting for at least an answer.

_“I bet you’d have tons of friends if you came out of your shell”_

He looked down as he stood up and walked over. He took an empty seat beside the blonde waiting for something. Aoi patted his back, surprising him. “Lighten up, we’re not going to attack you or anything.”

He looked up at Reita who smiled. “You should eat lunch with us today. These guys won’t mind. Miyavi is joining us today too.”

“I’m going to pig out today!” The half blonde said happily.

Kai smiled. “You mean steal all of our food.” They all laughed, but didn’t mind if he was really going to. The brunette smiled at the youngest. “So how’s tutoring Reita? I bet it’s hard with his stubborn head.”

“Hey!”He laughed. “Though, I am an idiot, I don’t think I’ve been very stubborn.”

“You’re not an idiot.” Takanori spoke up. “You’re smarter than you think. He’s more stubborn about learning than not. I think he’s a little backwards.”

They looked at him, making him blush a bit, but they turned to the blonde who was also embarrassed. Aoi pinched his friend’s cheeks. “He just complimented you and you don’t even thank him! You’re not being a nice friend.”

“Eh?”the blonde pulled away and scratched his head. “Thanks Takanori— uh, sorry, I mean Matsumoto-san.”

“It’s fine. Call me whatever you want.”

Reita smiled. “I can give you a nickname then?”

“Don’t push it.”

They laughed, but Takanori looked at them like they were crazy. Aoi coughed, catching their attention. “So, back to the issue.”

“Issue?” the chestnut asked.

“Yeah, you see this man here.” Miyavi said, pointing at the magenta boy. “He has bit of a problem. His parents want to control his dating life, well, they got into a fight he let it slip out that he has a girlfriend. Well, they want to meet her tomorrow night at dinner. Problem is, this guy doesn’t have girlfriend. So since you’re, here, you think you could help him out?”

Takanori stared at him. “I’m not dressing up like a girl and pretending to be his girlfriend.”

They looked at him with wide eyes. The half blonde coughed. “Actually, we were asking if you knew any girls, but that’s not a bad idea either!”

“No way!” Reita spoke up. “I mean uh…h-he wouldn’t want to do it anyways. Besides , we have to study every day. He won’t have time…I don’t think…I mean unless he wants to…do you Matsumoto-kun?”

“Hell no!”

“Worth a shot.” Miyavi shrugged his shoulders. Aoi groaned, dropping his head onto his desk as the bell rung.

            It was the last class of the day, Aoi was leaning back his chair, staring up at the ceiling, not paying much attention to anything. He was worried about the next day. If his father found out he lied, he’ll been deep shit, plus he won’t get another chance to look for himself a wife. He scratched his head, not really wanting to think that way. He didn’t want to get married, he didn’t even want to think about it and his father pushing him is starting to stress him out.

“Shiroyama!” The teacher shouted, scaring the young teen. He looked up at her and smiled. “What are you thinking about that’s more important than the lesson?”

The magenta boy had to bite his tongue in order not to say a whole list of thoughts that he felt were more important.  “Nothing, Mori sensei.”

“Then pay attention.”

He sighed as he watched her walk back to the board and sat up to start taking notes. He really hated this class. ‘Why did she even bother getting on to me? It’s four minutes to the bell, hmm food. So freaking hungry. I might stop by a store after school to grab something to eat. That sounds good.’

He started going through all the food he might want as the teacher assigned the homework. It wasn’t until the bell rung that he jumped out of his imagination. He grabbed the notebook on his desk and threw it into his bag along with everything else. He started saying his goodbyes as he stood up and turned, but found someone in his way.

“Uh…what?”

Kouyou sighed. “We need to work on the project tonight, remember? We talked about it before lunch.”

 “We did?”

Reita slapped him upside the head. “He forgot because all he’s thinking about is food.”

“You said you would come to my place to do it, but we can go to your place. Either way, we have to start today.”

The magenta boy scratched his head. “Oh yeah, let’s go to your place then. I really don’t want to deal with my parents tonight. I’ll see you later Rei.”

The blonde waved as he exited the room with his tutor. Aoi sighed as he lead the way down to his car, where Kaoru raised a brow at the extra rider. “We’re going to his place. Call one of my parents to tell them I have to work on a project. Takashima-san, give him directions.”

“Hey Aoi!” They looked over at their classmate, Maya, who was walking out of the gate with some of his friends. “Be careful, you might catch some deadly disease from him.”

The other teen just waved them off and looked at his project partner to find him looking at the ground with his hair covering his face. Kaoru slapped the magenta boy on the back of his head. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Not saying anything.” The driver growled, opening the back door for them. “Forgive him Takashima-sama, he’s too much of a wimp to stand up to people.”

“Shut it Kaoru.” Aoi mumbled, getting into the car. Kouyou nodded his head before slipping in behind the other.

            As they were driving down the road, Aoi noticed the diner he ate at the other day when he met that girl. He remembered how good his meal was and he really wanted to stop by there again. Kaoru, on the other hand, remembered that this was the direction she had ran off to and began feeling déjà vu as they turned the corner.

“The apartments on the left up here.” Kouyou directed. They pulled into the lot and parked, the brunette opened the door and stepped out as Kaoru opened the door for the other teen. Aoi looked around at the dingy place. The paint on the walls was chipping, a few steps seemed broken on the stairs, the residence seemed poor and some were nasty looking.

“I’ll call when I need to be picked up.” The magenta ordered his driver to leave as he followed Kouyou up to the apartment, being cautious on the rickety steps. He swore one was going to break under his foot as he stepped down on it. He looked up to find the brunette almost at the top, so he just ran up, hoping not to crash down below. Aoi walked behind him to a door on the end and watched as he opened it up. They stepped and started taking their shoes off, when a young girl popped out of the back room.

“Onii-chan!” She giggled as she ran to her brother. She jumped into his arms and hugged him. “you’re home early today!”

“Yep. Mayu, this is my classmate, Shiroyama Yuu. Shiroyama-san, this is one of my little sisters.”

The little girl glared at him. “I don’t like you. Stay away from my brother!”

“Mayu,” Kouyou said softly. “He’s a good person, don’t worry.”

Aoi watched all the while with a dumb struck face at how the young girl who he just met, already dislikes him.

“Kouyou?” An older girl said with a smile as she ran out, but she halted when she saw their guest. Their eyes went wide and they pointed at each other.

“It’s you!” They said simultaneously.

“Huh?” Kouyou asked.

            The brunette had started setting everything up on the kitchen table as Aoi and his sister explained how they know each other.  Kouyou placed the seeds beside the plant pots. “Thank you for getting her out of that mess.”

Aoi looked up from the stuff on the table. “No problem. So what do we have to do?”

“I already wrote down most of the stuff and made the charts out. All we really have to do is plant the seeds and write our hypothesis down.”

“That’s all, I thought there would be more to do.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I could have told you at school.”Kouyou looked around with a stressful expression. “I’ll finish this up quickly so you can leave.” He started fumbling with a medium sized  bag and opened it up, only for some of the dirt to go all over the place. He sighed, pouring it into the pots, then he put some fertilizer in it and placed the seeds in. “It’s the same plant. We’re seeing what would work better, faucet water or bottled water.”

Aoi watched as his partner poured the water from a bottle into a measuring cup, and poured two cups into the soil. Next, he walked to the faucet and started measuring a cup and poured it into the second pot, then repeated. The brunette set them both on the window sill and sat down to write on the chart for the first day. As he was doing so, his youngest sister walked up to them and tugged at her brother’s shirt.

“I’m hungry.”

Kouyou sighed and smiled at his partner. “Would you like to stay for dinner? To make up for you coming here.”

The pink haired boy was going to decline, but his stomach growled, making him sigh. “Sure, why not.”

            Aoi watched as the brunette multitasked, cooking and helping his sisters with their homework. He looked at all the work that laid on the table from the project, then around the room. It was small and connected to the living room. The table was square, meant for four people, the floor and walls were stained from age. The living room had a trashy green couch that looked ripped up with its cotton coming out of it, the coffee table in front of it was brown and looked like it could be break at any moment. There was a small tv, but it looked like it hadn’t been used in a while, the curtains were white, barely shading any of the light coming from the setting sun. The kitchen was small. It had a five foot space with a counter against two of the walls, a discolored fridge in the corner and in the middle of the other side was a black stove. The tile floors were tan, but should have been white and it was the same with the cabinets. It was a complete change from what he was used to being around, even though his friends aren’t as wealthy as he is, they still had decent homes. He felt a bit out of place, to say the least. Kouyou’s sisters seemed to have been wearing old clothing, like from a salvation army or something, maybe hand-me downs. Mayu’s clothing seemed a bit baggy, Satomi’s did too. Now that he thinks about it, both girls looked pretty small for their ages. He was broken out of his trance when said girls sat in their seats, leaving the one across from him empty. Kouyou walked in and sat a bowl of what looked like curry and a plate of rice balls in front of each girl, then one in front of the magenta. Aoi looked down at the half filled bowl and found it a little different form curry. It was more watery and a bit more translucent, it wasn’t what he thought it was. He looked up to find Kouyou back in the kitchen, washing the pans he had used. He looked around only to find a single, lonely rice ball sitting on the opposite counter.

“Where’s yours, Takashima-san?”

The brunette flinched, but smiled. “I ate some while I was cooking, I’m fine.”

Aoi eyed him suspiciously, but decided to move on to his next question. “So, um…what is this?”

“Stew. Beef stew. It’s pretty good.”

The teen looked down at the simple, distasteful looking meal. He watched as the young girls eagerly ate it, so he picked up a spoon and tried a small bit of it. He grunted. He wasn’t expecting such a taste. It tasted…bland, yet the beef he had picked up was juicy. He wasn’t fond of the taste, but he found himself already being rude, so he sucked it up and continued eating. He thank god the rice balls were delicious at least. He never thought plain rice balls could be so good after eating something else. Kouyou grabbed the rice ball off the counter after he was done washing and started eating on it as he watched his sisters and guest eat. It was quiet until they heard the door unlock and the brunette’s heart sunk. Before he could react, his mother had walked in with a different man again. He had normal black hair, he was lean, didn’t look all that strong, he looked like a gang member though with the way he was dressed. Baggy pants, gang colors, bandana around his forehead, gang signs tattooed on his arms. Yeah, he was in a gang. Their mother looked around with a disapproving expression.

“Kouyou, who’s this?” She asked, pointing at the pink haired boy.

“M-my science partner.” He whimpered, looking at the floor.

She cocked her head. “Really? Oh well, you have some business to get to.”

“No!” The brunette snapped. “N-not tonight.”

She glared at him, then at Aoi. “I see. Well then, Satomi, come here.”

“No!” Kouyou yelled. “I…I’ll pay it with cash this time. I…I…”

The magenta boy sat there in shock at what was going on in front of him. The brunette was shaking like a leaf, he looked petrified, but stayed in his spot.

“What?” Their mother asked. “He doesn’t want your money. You know what he wants.”

“No.” Kouyou whimpered. “Please, no.”

“I don’t have time for this.” The man sighed as he turned to leave.

“No, wait, wait.” She begged. “I’ll get you money instead.” She walked over, grabbed her son’s hair, and started dragging him in the hallway. He yelled in pain as she did so, but followed her to his room.

“Stop it!” Aoi shouted as he rushed back there. He walked into the room to find that the woman had pushed her son to his knees in the closet. Before he could make another movement, he grunted as he was pushed to the ground by the gang member that had walked in. The magenta boy looked up at him, then back at his classmate as the woman started yelling at him.

_“Open it! Right now Kouyou!”_

He didn’t move, so she slapped him across the face and pushed him back. She yanked a chain off his neck and proceeded to unlock a small safe. Kouyou whimpered as she pulled out two large stacks of cash and walked past him with a smile. She walked out with the gang member as her son crawled to the safe and started crying. He gripped his hair and just cried as he leaned on the black box. Satomi walked in with her sister, but they stood there. They didn’t motion to do anything, they didn’t know what to do, so Aoi moved to sit beside him. He looked into the box to find a few bills left inside, but other than that, it was empty.

 _“What am I going to do?”_ He cried out. _“How can pay I the rent or feed them? It’s going to take too long to get that money back. What do I do?”_

‘So that’s what he meant when he said he needed the money. He gave up his body to feed his sisters and give them a place to stay.’ Aoi smiled. “Takashima-san, I have a proposal for you. I think I can help you.”

The brunette looked up with his face smeared with makeup and tears. “Re-really?”


	8. Chapter 8

            Kouyou didn’t want to go to school the next day. He felt defeated, crushed, and just destroyed when his mother took almost everything he had earned. With that money gone, he had no way to buy food or pay the rent next month and he was stressing out. He couldn’t sleep last night because he was full of worry and despair about the future. This deal that he made was probably only for one night, so he needed to think of something as a backup plan. The teachers had started paying less, a few even stopped going around him so they wouldn’t spend the money, and his classmates were the same except, most of them cheated him. They took from him, but didn’t pay. He had made a few plans. He could start working on the street, but that was far more dangerous. For one, he might step into someone else’s territory, he might get raped, attacked, or arrested if caught. He was scared of that, but he could make a lot more money. If he found it too dangerous, he had the thought of getting money from a loan shark and run away with his sisters, but he was too much of a chicken for that. All he had left was this deal and it scared him that it wouldn’t be enough. Yet, with all his fears swelling up inside him, he was here at school instead of resting to go out on the street tonight. He thought that he had to at least try. He had to trust the guy who never stood up for him or done anything to stop the tortures done to him. The teen that was walking into the classroom right now, walking towards him. Aoi leaned onto the brunette’s desk.

“Ok, they said it was alright for your sisters to come too.”

Kouyou sighed. “Well, that’s one less thing I have to worry about. I didn’t want them fending for themselves while I got a good meal. Now, what about clothes?”

“Reita’s helping me out with that. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just relax.”

“I’m more calm about this than you are. To me, this is just another job.”

The magenta boy bobbed his head and took a deep breath. “Right. So, after school, we’ll go pick your sisters up, you’ll change, and then head over to my place. Oh, I hope this works.”

“Why is this such a big deal?” Kouyou asked, leaning back in his chair, but the other glared at him.

“I’m not paying you to ask questions. Just stick with the plan. If it works, then you have more days ahead of you, which means more payment. So I suggest you work on your manners.”

The brunette glared at him as he walked away. Kouyou sighed as he looked out the window, looking at the white, puffy clouds moving along at their own pace. He watched the birds fly freely overhead and disappear into the trees and bushes. He wished he open up his broken wings and fly away just like them. Sometimes, he wished he didn’t have the responsibility of taking care of his sisters, of having to work, or go to school. He wished he could do what he wanted and just feel free of all the burdens that where forced upon him. Deep down though, he knew those wishes would never come true. He loved his sisters too much to abandon them. He thought that giving up his happiness, his life, was worth making them happy and safe. He was use to the burden, the weight on his shoulders, and even if his legs gave out beneath him, he would crawl until he couldn’t go on, just for them to reach their dreams.

            Down the hall, in the boys bathroom, Takanori was putting some make up in the handicap stall. He looked at the bruise on the edge of his lips, from when his father slapped him earlier. He back talked his father again, which resulted in him not getting any breakfast…again. He was so hungry, but not as hungry as he usually is. Since he started tutoring the star athlete, he’s been at least getting a cup of ramen. He sighed as his stomach growled again, bringing him back to the fact that he was hungry. He went back to putting his makeup on again, when he heard someone walking into the bathroom. He ignored them, until they started knocking on the door.

“Occupied.” He said, as he started on his eye liner, but they continued to knock. He growled as he stomped over with a glare and swung the door open. “What the hell do you want?”

His eyes went wide when he saw Die and Toshiya standing there. They pushed him inside the stall and shut the door behind them. “Look at what we got here.” Die laughed.

“Leave me alone.” The shorter one ordered.

“What are you going to do if we don’t?” Toshiya laughed. “Go to your boyfriend?”

“What?” Takanori gasped.

“I bet Suzuki would flip if anything happened to his precious little boy toy.”The raven giggled as he gripped the younger’s wrist.

“You’re disgusting. I’m not gay!”The chestnut shouted, tugging his arm back, but the other was much stronger than him. He threw a punch into Die’s chest, making the raven let go so he could escape, but he forgot about the other person in the stall. Toshiya punched him in the stomach before shoving him back, making him fall onto the floor and against the wall. He looked up at the pair and gasped as they bent down in front of him.

“Let’s have some fun, shall we?” The raven laughed as he stared into Takanori’s eyes.

            Reita found it strange that his tutor wasn’t there today. He honestly never seen the chestnut miss a day of school, even the year before when they just shared classes, but never talk. The blonde brushed it off. Everyone had days where they didn’t come, whether they didn’t feel like it, or just sick. He didn’t think much of it. He just knew that he would take advantage and spend some more time in the gym this afternoon. He smiled, he knew he should probably try to study. He sighed as the bell rung for the next class, which was PE for him. As he and Aoi walked down the hallway, he spotted some girl digging through a trashcan. He stopped and raised a brow at what they were doing, but it was answered when the said person had a friend walk up to her.

“Someone threw a pair of shoes away.” She said, lifting them up. “they’re school shoes, you think we should take them to lost and found?”

“If they threw them away, then why would they look for them?” Her friend asked.

“Well, if they’re not claimed, then they’ll be sent as donations.”

Reita still found it odd that the girl had dug through the trash just for some shoes, but he shrugged it off and continued on to the gym with his best friend. As they walked in, they found Die laughing at them, but they ignored him as they walked to their lockers. Reita opened his up to find a small pair of red boxers on top of his gym bag. When he picked them up, Die and his friend started laughing even louder, but it only confused the blonde. He raised a brow as he looked at the undergarment, trying to figure out why the hell they put them in there. He shook his head dropping them on the bench as he grabbed his gym clothes and started changing.

“Those guys are weird.” Aoi started. “Why did they put those in there?”

Reita only shrugged. “They’re idiots.”

            The day went on painfully slowly. PE dragged on, they didn’t get to play anything so Reita was a little ticked off. They had to do a fitness test where the coach made them do a certain amount of different exercises, then had them run a mile. Everyone was tired afterwards, especially the ones who were unfit. It finally came to an end and they were changing back into their school uniforms. Pretty much all of them were happy, until they reached their next class. Science was more boring than usual, they had to work out of the text books and answer questions on the chapter. The blonde gave up trying to read and just went to sleep, while Aoi kept banging his head on the desk, wanting the day to go faster. Kouyou had gotten side tracked by a bird flying outside the window, while Miyavi gotten side tracked by a cute boy across the room. Maya and Hiroto were throwing notes to each other, some girls were texting or reading a magazine when the teacher wasn’t looking. Kai seemed to have been the only one actually working. The boring day really hadn’t changed much as they went to lunch, but the blonde had other plans. He pulled Aoi to the side and dragged him to the stairs down the hall that lead up to the roof top. The magenta boy helped with the lock, then they headed up to have a cigarette. They try not to do this that much so they won’t be caught, but this was their spot. It had always been there spot since they started at this school. It’s where they went to get away from all their problems and just relax, even for a few minutes. They both lit up and took deep drags from the white sticks.

“So, have you got them yet?” Aoi asked.

“No, but don’t worry, I’ll get you the clothes before school ends. You may have to come by the gym though.” The blonde smiled.

“Asuka has the body type.” The pink haired boy said, taking another drag.

The star athlete smiled. “She has some fine legs and a good ass.”

His friend laughed and shook his head. He walked to the edge and looked down at the entrance of the school before he turned and leaned on the fence. “You know, dad’s been pretty hard here lately. On everything. This marriage thing, the company, school, family. He’s been hard on onee-chan too. It’s been stressing me out you know. I really just want to run away from it all. I don’t want to deal with it anymore.”

“It’ll be alright.” Reita said softly. “It’ll take a while, but your dad will see that he’s pushing you too hard and he’ll back off.”

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but we both know he won’t. I’ve told you why he’s doing this, he’s not going to stop. He knows I can run the company without being married, but…he just doesn’t want me to end up alone.”

“He means good.”

“I know. I’m worried. What if this doesn’t work? He won’t trust me anymore.” Aoi looked away, devastation covered his face. He was more than worried about this, he was scared. He didn’t want to hurt his parents, but he didn’t want them to control his life either. He just wanted to be himself and do what he wants while he’s still young.

“He will, he just won’t let you make your own decisions for a while.”

“That makes me feel better.” Aoi laughed. “Speaking of which, when’s your dad coming? He promised to take us out to eat, remember?”

Reita sighed as he walked to the fence and leaned against it. “Problems at work. He won’t be coming home this month.” The blonde clenched the metal wires and pressed his forehead against it. He was tired of being alone, he wanted his father to come home and be a ‘father’. He wanted to spend time with him.

“Sorry man.”

The athlete shrugged his shoulders and turned around. “It’s fine.” He sighed and looked across the roof. He saw something beside a vent and decided to investigate. As he walked over, Aoi decided to join him and followed him over to the vent. The blonde grabbed the blue clothe and lifted it to find that it was their school’s pants.

“Looks like somebody’s getting laid.”Aoi sung.

Reita rolled his eyes as he searched the pockets to find a familiar looking wallet. His heart sunk as he opened it to look at the school id inside. He clenched the clothing as he ran to the door, leaving behind a very confused Aoi, but the magenta ran after him. They ran down the steps, down the hallways, to the cafeteria where the blonde swung the door open. Students looked in his direction as he stomped towards Die and punched him right in the face. Toshiya was about to retaliate, but Aoi stepped in and pushed his back. The raven fell off the table from the attack, but was lifted back to his feet when  Reita grabbed his shirt.

“Where is he?” The blonde growled.

The other teen laughed. “So you finally figured it out. I thought for sure you would recognize your boyfriend’s underwear.”

Reita slammed the raven onto the table. “I will _not_ ask you again. _Where is Matsumoto-kun?”_

Die snorted, not really fazed by the act of violence. He was quite proud that he got his rival so angry and he wasn’t about to stop there. “Aww so your boyfriend is that special to you? How sweet. Too bad, I just can’t seem to remember where I placed him.”

The blonde’s face turned cold and his voice was filled with anger “You do not want to mess with me Daisuke. I don’t like harming people, but I will not stand by while one of my friends are being hurt.”

The raven looked down to find the other gripping a plastic knife at his side. He felt a shiver go down his spine. “Whatever. He’s in the bathroom down the hall from your classroom.”

Reita leaned over and whispered. “He better be there.” The blonde let up and walked out with Aoi following him close behind. Die kissed his teeth as he raised up and found everybody staring at him in silence.

“The fuck you looking at?” He shouted, making all of them turn and continue with their lunch. Toshiya stood next to him. “He hasn’t won yet.”

            Reita made it up to the bathrooms and made Aoi stand outside as he walked in. All the stalls except one were open. He walked to the closed one and knocked on it. When he didn’t get an answer, he knocked again.

“Matsumoto-kun.” He said softly. “It’s me, Suzuki. I know you’re in there, open the door, I won’t look. I have your pants. No one else is in here. Just me and you.” He heard a click, so he opened the door. He found the chestnut sitting on the floor against the stall wall. His knees were raised to his chest, his head was on them and his arms wrapped around his legs. He heard the other sniffle as he kneeled beside him. “I’m sorry. Your boxers are in the locker room, I’ll go get them if you want me too. Here are your pants.”

Takanori peeked over to find his pants in the other’s hands, but he didn’t want to move. He didn’t want the blonde to see him, not like this. He was humiliated enough already. Then, suddenly, he was pulled into Reita’s embrace and was shocked. “Wha—”

“I’m sorry. I should have known that they had done something to you. I should have came sooner. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Takanori sighed as he pulled away. “You didn’t do this.”He took his pants and put them on as Reita turned away.

“What did they do? I mean, did they hurt you?”

The chestnut sighed. “They pinned me to the wall, pulled my pants and boxers off. They insulted me, took my shoes and ran out. There’s nothing you could have done, it was before school started, so no one knew I was even here.”

Reita looked down. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have happened.”

“Well, it did. Nothing I can do about it now, so we might as well move on.” Takanori grabbed his things then moved past him and opened the stall. “I have to go find my shoes.”

“They’re probably in lost and found, I’ll go with you.”

They stepped out to see Aoi standing there with Kai and Miyavi, waiting for them to come out. The brunette walked up to him. “Are you ok? Do you need to go to the nurse?”

“I’m fine, I just need to get my shoes.”

“These?” Miyavi held a pair up. “Aoi told me to go get them from the office, so I did.”

“Thanks.” He mumbled, taking them back and putting them on. “We need to head to class.”

“It’s still lunch, you want to grab something to eat?”

“I’m fine. I just want to get to class.”He mumbled, walking away. They looked at each other as they followed him to the room before the bell rung.

             Takanori gathered his things as the last bell rung and he walked out to find Reita leaning on a wall, talking a to a pretty girl in the drama club. Asuka, she had long, light brown hair that was curled up; she had light makeup on; she was a little shorter than the blonde; she was thin, but not too thin. His arm was raised above her head as she leaned on the wall under it. They were really close, almost touching in fact. The athlete’s face had a lustful expression as he whispered to the girl, making her giggle. He didn’t want to approach them, but he did.

“Sorry, Suzuki-kun, we have to go study.”

The blonde bobbed his head. “I’ll meet you in the gym, then we’ll leave.”

Takanori shook his head and headed to the office to get the work he had missed that day. Since it was rare for him to miss a class, the teachers didn’t really push on asking questions when they handed it over. They also knew he would get the work done, so they didn’t bother with it too much. He then headed down to the gym and went inside where was surprised. It was empty, no Reita at all. No gym bag, no ball on the ground, nothing. He hummed as he sat on the benches, the blonde did say to meet him here. After a few minutes in the silent room, he started tapping on one of his books, making some kind of melody. He huffed as he opened it up to start in school work, but the silence was distracting him. He slammed the book shut as his leg started moving. He sat the book aside to walk off onto the court and he grabbed a basketball from one of the carts across the room. He walked in front of a basket and stood on the black line. He bounced it like the blonde would, then gripped it with both hands and threw it up. It hit the rim of the basket and shot back at him. He yelped as he jumped to the side to avoid the orange ball, then he scowled at the basket.

“Whatever.”He huffed and crossed his arms. He looked at the doorway to the locker room and hummed when he remembered the his boxers where in there. He might as well get them while he’s here. So he walked back there, but as he got closer, he heard, what sounded like a girl moaning. He looked around him before he walked cautiously into the locker room, where her moans got louder. He peeked past the wall to find Asuka leaning her naked chest against the lockers with Reita behind her, thrusting. The chestnut’s face became bright red as he watched the scene in front of him. The blonde pulled her head back and turned it to kiss her as he grabbed one of her breasts with his other hand. When she moaned and called the athlete’s name out, Takanori moved back and rushed out of the locker room. He leaned on the wall with a red face and racing heart. He swallowed hard trying to think of calming, non exciting things.

“I’m hard…”He whimpered. He bit his lip as he tiptoed back and leaned against the set of locker across the other two. He bit his left index finger as he slipped his hand inside his pants. He bit hard so he wouldn’t moan and started stroking himself. He took deep breathes as he massaged himself and listened to the two on the other side. He was slightly embarrassed, getting off from a classmate and some chick he barely knew doing it in the locker room. Yet he found it incredibly arousing. He didn’t know if it was the fact that it was them or the adrenaline rush of the chance of being caught by someone or them. Whatever it was, it got his blood rushing and it made him feel good. He slid down onto his knees and leaned over a bit. He bit down harder when he hard Asuka moaning the blonde’s name over and over, begging for more. For him to go faster, telling him how big was and how good he was. Takanori didn’t know what was more arousing, her talking like that, or the fact that Reita was making her say that by the way he did her. Either way, he liked it. He squeezed his eyes shut as he pumped himself faster and bit down harder, drawing blood as he held back any noise. He felt the rush coming faster, so he stroked harder, trying to get closer to it. He rubbed his thumb over the tip of his member and threw his head back. He let out a slight whimper as his seeds squirted out onto the floor. His body slumped and he leaned against the lockers as he tried to catch his breath. The two on the other side continued on, oblivious to their audience. Reita moaned out showing he was close to his climax, so the chestnut fixed himself as he stood on shaky legs and started walking out before they noticed him there. He took deep breathes as he made his way to the hall and leaned on a wall before he collapsed. He stayed there for a few minutes, calming himself down and getting control of himself. He wiped the sweat off his face and straightened up as he heard a giggle. He turned towards the locker room as Asuka walked out, wearing some sweat pants and a baggy shirt. She smiled at him as she walked past him and out of the hall. He took a deep breath before he walked into the room to find Reita smoking a cigarette while buckling his pants up. The short teen blushed at how toned the other’s body was, he doubt there was any fat on the nicely cut muscles . Yet his frame was thin and fragile looking.

“Smoking is bad for you.” He said, catching the other’s attention.

The blonde smiled. “I know.”

“Have fun?”

“Yep.”Reita said, putting his white shirt back on. Takanori looked down to find the girl’s clothes laying there on the bench, nicely folded.

“She gave you her uniform?”

“For a favor. When Aoi get’s here, we can leave, I have to give them to him.”

The chestnut raised a brow. “Ok. Could I have one? A cigarette I mean.”

“Sure.” Reita handed one over and pulled out his lighter. He moved closer to light it up as it rested in the younger’s mouth. As he did, he whispered in the shorter one’s ear. “Did you have fun as well?”

Takanori froze. He really didn’t know how to respond to that. He didn’t think he got caught. “I…uh…how…”

“You might want to clean your pants up.”

The teen looked down to find a drying spot on his pants and the color made it obvious what had been there. He blushed as he ran to a sink and started wiping water on it, making the other laugh.

            After he was done, the two of them walked out to the gym to grab Takanori’s things. The chestnut refused to look Reita in the eye because he was still embarrassed. As they headed in, they heard the sound a of a basketball bouncing. They walked through the door to see Aoi shooting a ball in the hoop.

“Hey.” The blonde waved, catching his friend’s attention.

The magenta boy smiled as he waved back. Takanori walked past them to his things as Reita handed the clothes over, but he found another person in the room. Kouyou was standing at the bleachers watching them. The two have never really talked before, even though they were both outcasts. It never dawned on Takanori to do so, but he waved as he walked up to grab his things. The brunette gave a small wave in return as the other teen made his way back down. Aoi smiled when Reita told him how nice Asuka was, but he said the girl moaned too much. They shrugged their shoulders as they started walking to the other two on the court. Takanori watched as the magenta boy handed the girl clothes to Kouyou and smiled.

“Let’s go, or we’ll be late.” Aoi sighed. The brunette bobbed his head and started following the pink haired boy. “See you Rei.”

“Call me later, tell me how it goes.” The blonde waved.

“What’s going on?” Takanori asked.

“Well, we think we found a solution to Aoi’s problem. We kind of took the idea you had by mistake. Aoi’s paying Kouyou to pretend he’s a girl to impress his dad.”

“Why didn’t he just get a real girl and save all the trouble?”

“Well, he tried looking for a girl that his father would approve of and he was having a hard time with it. Then, he found out Takashima-san needed some money and said he would pay him to do it. Takashima-san accepted. If all goes well, his dad will stop bothering him.”

“I still don’t understand why go through all the trouble to pretend he’s a girl? Why doesn’t he just pay a real girl?”

“Takashima-san needs the money and won’t blow it for either one of them. Aoi didn’t want to risk it with a girl who was just doing it for the cash, because she could just take the money and run, or use it against him. He really doesn’t trust them. Takashima-san, apparently has a lot to lose if this doesn’t work out. Don’t say anything about him getting paid though. Takashima-san doesn’t want anybody to know about his money problems. Also, Aoi’s parents can’t find out he’s a guy. Promise me you won’t say anything.”

Takanori looked at the blonde and shook his head. “I promise. Oh, before I forget, where are my boxers?”


	9. Chapter 9

            Aoi has been worried about many things. He has worried about his looks, his voice, the way he acts, and how people see him. He has worried that he may get sick, die young, be murdered in his sleep, or kidnapped. He’s had many fears, but none as scary as the one he has now as he sits at Kouyou’s table, waiting for him to get ready. He was kicking his foot, tapping the table with his fingers, and rocking the chair.

“Why are you so nervous?” Satomi asked. She had been sitting at the table beside him, watching him as her little sister colored in a picture book.

Aoi sighed. “Well, let’s just say my parents are strict and harsh. This is my last chance and I can’t blow it.”

“Why couldn’t you just get a real girl to do it?”

“You need the money.” The pink boy sighed.

“Kouyou hates to be pitied.” She said. “I hate it too, so don’t pity us. We work hard for what we have. I know he doesn’t do it in the most orthodox way, but it’s the only option he has. Nobody would hire him, and if he did get a normal job, he wouldn’t make as much as he does now. That’s the reason he does it. You just offered him the same amount without the…you know what.” She motioned to her sister.

Aoi shook his head. The little girl didn’t need to be exposed to something like that. “Well, we’re helping each other. Kouyou’s a good actor and he’s the only one I know that can pull it off.”

“How did you two meet?”Mayu asked.

The pink haired teen scratched his head. “Well…” He couldn’t say he caught the brunette having sex with a teacher. “We’re in the same class and we’re working a science project together.”

“You’re not friends. Just classmates.” The young girl sighed. “Kouyou doesn’t have any friends, it’s not fair.”

“I have plenty of friends.” The mentioned teen said as he stepped in. Aoi’s jaw dropped as he looked at the brunette. He covered up all his bruises with makeup, his face looked almost like a porcelain doll, the foundation was applied smoothly, his eye shadow was just enough that it didn’t look gaudy, yet his eyes were breath taking. The brown orbs seemed to pop out more with the coloring he chose, his lips just had shiny lip gloss on them, but if he had lipstick on it would be too much, so it was perfect. He had parted his hair and teased it a bit. His body fitted nicely in the light blue uniform. His pale, smooth thighs stuck out along with the rest of his beautiful legs, showing that he was a little too tall for the skirt. He had two small lumps on his chest to try and show that he had breasts.

“You’re drooling Shiroyama-san!” Satomi laughed. The teen quickly wiped his chin and closed his mouth with a blush. He stood up and looked at the brunette’s chest.

“Those look beyond fake. Take them out.”

“But…”

“There are such things as flat chested girls.”

Kouyou shook his head and walked back to the bathroom. He took the shirt off, then the bra that was stuffed with toilet paper. He slipped the shirt back on and stepped out to be viewed again. Aoi approved it and started towards the door. The brunette walked to the door and slipped on his shoes as his sisters did the same. Aoi was the last put his on, but after he did, they headed downstairs to the awaiting car. Kaoru looked at them as he opened the door.

“The young ladies first.” He said politely. The two younger ones laughed as they stepped in, but the driver stopped their brother. “A quick lesson and his parents will love you. Bow when you see them, keep a smile on your face, say sir and ma’m. Wipe your face after each bite, don’t be offended by what they say, don’t speak with your mouthful and the both of you, keep holding hands. Make it look like you two love each other like any new couple would.”

Kouyou shook his. “Thank you and thank you for going along with this.”

The driver smile. “It’s my pleasure. Now, what shall I call you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Kouyou is certainly not a female name. You might want to think of before we get there. Now get in before we’re late.”

The two stepped in and buckled up as their driver got in. Aoi sighed and slapped his head. “I can’t believe we forgot to think of a name!”

“It’s ok.” The brunette patted his arm. “It can’t be too hard to think of one…right?”

            Across town, Miyavi was walking down the road to his home. He decided to make a stop to make a transaction with a buddy of his. He turned the corner to find his friend going into an alley way, so he followed him in along with two other people. He was wearing a white beanie cap, oversized black hoody, and baggy pants. They walked down until the middle where the dealer had stopped. The man smiled and hugged the teen.

“How you doing?”

“Good, good.” The half blonde smiled. “Hey, um listen, Tora, I have this problem.”

“You know I don’t lend money or do returns.”

“Yeah I know. Actually, my bro keeps getting into my stash, mainly my coke, and I was wondering if you had anything that could make him sick. So he’ll stay away from it. Not deathly ill, but make him puke or something.”

The man rubbed his chin and shook his head. “I got something for you.” He turned to a trash bag that had been sitting there. He dug out a small bag with a bit of powder in it. “It’ll make him sick for a few days. My own, special mixture. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I’ll give it to you for half price, since you’re a friend.”

Miyavi smiled as he counted out some bills and handed them over as he took the bag. He nodded and hid the stash inside his pants. He started making his way out when he heard footsteps running into the alley and his eyes got wide when he saw two cops holding up guns.

“Cops!” He yelled, running the opposite direction. The other three took off beside him, but they split up at the other end the alley. The half blonde looked back to see if there was anyone following him, which there wasn’t, so he took this chance to hide. He ran down a block, into another alley where a car was parked. There was a shadow from the building that covered it, so it would be impossible to find him unless they purposely looked. He quickly slipped under it and started to catch his breath. He could hear yelling echo off the walls and footsteps running through, that were getting closer. He could see three sets of legs running towards him, then suddenly, one set of blue legs disappeared and two bodies landed right beside the car. Miyavi looked over to find Tora looking straight at him as the cops cuffed him. The half blonde looked to the other side to find a pile of bricks broken away from the building. He quickly, but quietly slipped out of the other side of the car and grabbed one of them. The cop forced Tora to his feet and started pushing him forward as they read him his rights. While their backs were turned, Miyavi darted out and bashed the brick upside the first cops head, then hit the cop that was holding his friend. The half blonde grabbed Tora’s arm and was running back into the alley before the officers fell onto the ground. He dragged the drug dealer down a bit before running into a random apartment complex. They went up the stairs and walked until they found the door they were looking for. He banged on it and they waited for a minute before it opened up. There stood and red head American guy with a raised brow.

“Whoa, Miyavi, Tora? What’s up?”

“No time, Jack.” The half blonde pushed his friends in and slammed the door shut. He sighed before looking at the short white man. “You can get these off him right?”

“Of course! Have a seat.” He pointed to his blue, sunken in couch. “So watch you got yourselves into this time?”

“The usual.” Tora shrugged. They sat and watched the man pull out a kit and rolled it on the table. This man picks locks for a living, so this shouldn’t take no time. “Miyavi, thanks.”

“No problem. I just I hope they didn’t get our names or our faces.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be alright.” Tora laughed.

The half blonde smiled, but looked out the window with a frown. ‘I hope so.’

            Aoi scratched his head in frustration. They were minutes away from his house and they still couldn’t find a name, not even using his phone.

“Just pick a name.” Kaoru said. “Pick the first one you see.”

The magenta boy sighed. “I don’t want it to be a stupid name. It has to match him or his girl part, I mean her…you get what I’m trying to say.”

“What kind of girl do your parents like?” Kouyou asked.

“Kind, respectful, elegant, knows her place, talks nicely. Proper…” Aoi rubbed his head. The brunette took his phone and started playing with it a bit before finding a list of names.

“We’re about to pull up.” Kaoru warned. Satomi grabbed the phone and looked.

“Eeny meeny miny moe.” She pointed at one. “Uruha.”

“We’re here.” The driver said as he stopped.

“It’ll do.” Aoi said taking his phone back. “Just remember to call him Uruha or Onee-san, okay?”

The two shook their heads as the door opened up. The magenta boy stepped out, then grabbed Kouyou’s hand to help him out, then his sisters. The two teens held hands as they walked up to the door, which Kaoru opened for them. Stepping inside, Kouyou had resist the urge to gape at everything or touch something. It was very beautiful, the wall were a golden brown color, adorn with paintings of what seemed to be family members. There were tables with expensive vases and busts of random people. He cleared his throat to start speaking in his female voice.

“Satomi, Mayu, don’t touch anything.”

They looked at their brother in shock, but shook their heads. They didn’t know he could do that. They walked into what seemed to be a dining hall. Kouyou was surprised to see such a short table, he was expecting it to be long and extravagant. But it was a simple table that seated about six people. They stopped in the middle of the room to wait for his parents to come in. The brunette stood in front of the other and grabbed both his hands to start lightly swinging them.

“What are you doing?”

Kouyou grinned as he stepped closer to whisper. “We’re supposed to look like a couple. Do cute, random little things like this. Smile, it’ll make it more believable.”

The magenta boy put a slight smile on his face as he looked at the pro actor. He pretended to be drop dead in love with this person, he had to. They turned their heads as they head a couple walking in to find it was his parents.

His mother smiled as she walked up to them. “Hello, there. Welcome to our home.”

Kouyou smiled as he bowed. “Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Shiroyama. I’m Takashima Uruha.”

“Nice to meet you and who are these young ladies?”

“Oh, these are my sisters, Satomi and Mayu.” The girls bowed politely as their names were said.

“Well, we have another room for you two to eat while we talk to your sister. Is that ok?” Aoi’s mother asked. The girls looked at each other, shook their heads yes. As if on cue, a maid stepped out and asked them to follow her out. The butler motioned for them sit at the table before he left to get dinner. Aoi and Uruha sat next to each other, still holding hands, as his parent sat across from them.

“Takashima-chan.” His mother said delightedly. “How did you meet my son?”

“Well, I was helping a teacher take a few things he borrowed from the shed on the PE field back. He has a bad back, so I offered to help. Well when we were leaving, I ran into him. He was helping clean up after his class. He helped me put a few things away and we just started talking.”

She smiled. “Did you know my son came from a rich family?”

“Mother!”

“Shush. Now, did you?”

“Not until after a few days of us dating. I’m not very sociable, so I really didn’t know about him, or many people for that matter.”

“How long have you been dating?” She asked.

“A week and a half now.” Uruha answered.

“Ok, are we done playing twenty questions?” Aoi asked nervously.

“Tell us about your family.” His father finally spoke up.

The brunette took a deep breath. “Well, we’re poor. My mother works two jobs to support us and is about to start a third one. She doesn’t have a lot of time at home and what time she does have, she rests. So, I take care of my sisters in her place.”

“What about your father?”

“He died while mom was pregnant with Mayu.” Uruha whimpered, starting to bring up fake tears. “I’m sorry, I get emotional when I talk about him. You see, we were in a car crash and he had turned the wheel so the impact wouldn’t be on my side of the car.”

Aoi looked at him with wide eyes before bring his arm around the brunette’s shoulder and bringing him into a hug. His mother pulled out a handkerchief out of her pocket and handed it over.  “Here darling.”

Uruha took it and carefully wiped his eyes, trying not smudge his makeup. “Thank you.”

“How do your sisters react about it?” The father asked.

“Um…”The brunette sniffled. “They, really don’t know much about it. I’m afraid they’re still too young to understand. Satomi might, but I don’t want to risk it. Maybe a little longer.”

They waited for him to calm down, but he made sure to take a few minutes to make it look real. He took a deep breath and smiled. Aoi’s mother took this chance to start talking about her son. “You know Yuu was quite the troublemaker when he was younger. He used go up to women and yank their skirts down.”

Aoi’s face turned red. “Mom!”

“I remember this one time we had a guest over and Yuu couldn’t believe she was a woman because she was wearing pants. While we were looking at a painting of my father, he snuck up behind us and yanked her pants down. He had pulled so hard, that the button and zipper broke. She screamed and tried to pull them back up, but she fell backwards. He had took her pants completely off and stepped inside them. He pulled the legs up so he could walk around and looked at her with the cutest angry face. He said ‘men are supposed to wear pants. Women have to wear skirts so we can look up them.’ Then he turned wobbled away, still wearing them.”

“Mom!” Aoi shouted, but Uruha giggled at his reaction.

“Oh, let me tell you about this one time when he was ten. We had gone to a dinner party, which had a lot of people. He had snuck away from me and shoved a whole bunch of food into his underwear and walked back in the group I was in. It was full of women. I looked at him, trying not to laugh, asked what he did. There was a bulge in front of his pants. He said ‘I’ll tell you my secret cause you’re my mom. I put food down my pants, but the other women don’t know that. So they’ll like me even more now that I’m a big boy.’”

“Mother!”

Uruha bursted out laughing, almost losing the female voice. His mother and father joined in as the magenta boy sunk in his chair with a red face. As they started to calm down, their food was placed in front of them, so Aoi straightened up. They started eating soon after and it was quiet for a few minutes, which both teens were thankful for. The less questions the better, the less talking the less embarrassed Aoi will be. It was good, until his father spoke up.

“So, Takashima-chan, are you a virgin?”

The brunette’s eyes shot open and he almost choke on the food as Aoi’s jaw dropped. “Dad! That’s none of your business.”

“I want to know if she is pure or not.”

“And if she’s not?”

“Then I won’t allow you to marry her.”

Uruha’s eyes grew wider. “M-marriage?”

“We just started dating!” The magenta boy growled. “Doesn’t mean we’re going to get married, so stop bringing it up.”

It got awkward when the son and father started shooting death glares at each other. The magenta boy grumbled as he grabbed his drink to take a gulp. Uruha sighed. “I’m a virgin.”

Aoi choked before spewing out his drink all over the table. He coughed as he looked at the brunette, who was completely calm. His mother snapped at him. “Yuu Shiroyama! What was that about? You better manners than this!”

The teen wiped his mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t expect her to answer.” ‘No, I didn’t expect that terrible lie to come out of his mouth.’

“This food is very good, Mrs. Shiroyama.” The brunette smiled.

“Why, thank you! It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”

Aoi sighed as he watched the two of them get along while his father ate silently. So far, so good.

            It was late, the sun had gone down by the time the ladies decided their chat was over. Uruha said he wanted to get his sisters home since they had school tomorrow. The brunette bowed to Aoi’s parents before the pink haired boy walked him to the door. Kaoru has already placed his sisters in the car was waiting to drive them home. Kouyou glanced over to find the other’s teen’s parents spying on them. He pushed himself against Aoi, surprising him.

“They’re watching.” He whispered. The magenta boy calmed his expression before rubbing Kouyou face, bringing it closer for a subtle kiss. They pulled apart and looked in each other’s eyes for a moment, before Kouyou stepped away. Aoi wrapped his arm around the brunette’s waist and led him to the car.

“Thanks, for doing this.” The magenta teen handed a wad of cash to the other.

Kouyou accepted it and smiled as he changed to his normal voice. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He got into the car and Kaoru closed it before he walked to the driver seat. Aoi watched as the car drove off before he stepped back inside.

            On the drive home, Kouyou noticed, both his sisters holding a white bear. “Where did you get those?”

“Driver-san gave them to us.” Mayu giggled. He looked up to see the butler bobbing his head with a smile. He sighed with relief. “So when are we going back?”

“I don’t know if we will come back.”

“Why? I like it!” the young girl whined.

“Well, it just depends on how things go.”

“I want to go back!”

“Mayu, we may not be able to.”

“I want to go back! I don’t want to go home!”

“Mayu!” Satomi shouted.

“I hate it there! I want live with them. They have food that I like and a tv and toys!”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t live with them” Kouyou said.

“It’s not fair!” She cried. “I want yummy food! And toys! And to watch tv! I hate living with you! You never get me what I want! You’re always gone! You’re like mommy!”

“Mayu!” Satomi slapped her sister, making her cry more. Kouyou was clenching the seat as tears ran down his face.

“ _I hate you both!”_

“Yummy food.” Kouyou said coldly. “That’s what you want? And a tv and toys too. Satomi, you want to go to that school. Ok. I know how to get it for you.”

“Nii-san?” the middle schooler mumbled. The rest of the ride home was in silence, other than the youngest one crying. When they made it home, they walked up to the apartment and went in to find it empty.

“Go to bed you two.” Kouyou ordered. The three of them walked to the back and Kouyou went into his closet as the girls got ready for bed. He got out of the girl’s school uniform and grabbed some tight fitting jeans, a tight red tank top,  and a this white jacket. He took a few bills from the money he earned and placed them in his pocket while put the rest into the safe. He fixed his makeup before grabbing several packets of condoms. He looked at himself in the mirror one last time before he stepped out. His sisters were already lying down, but he walked past them and shut the door. He locked the apartment up before heading down to catch the last bus of the day.

            He rode into the city where it was lit from the buildings and street lights. The sidewalks were full of people, the roads full of cars, and that’s where he wanted to be. He got off and started walking around. He watched as others did their work, studied them, and took mental notes. He got into an area where he saw several of them and thought was a good spot. He walked around, the other ones smiling at him as he walked by, they seemed friendly and were allowing him to work here. He walked up and down the sidewalk until he heard a whistle. He looked to see a parked car and a man inside waving to him. He walked over and popped his butt out as he leaned on the car door.

“You looking for work for the night?” He looked like a business man. A nice, rich business man.

“Yeah.” He said.

“I haven’t seen you here, you new?”

“In this area. Not at this work.” Kouyou said with lustful giggle.

The man licked his lips. “Get in. Let’s see how good you are.”


	10. Chapter 10

            Reita was gathering his things from the gym as Takanori did the same. After Aoi had left, the blonde had brought the younger one his boxers so he could change into them. The chestnut did so and came back out to find the other shooting hoops. Reita smiled at his tutor before shooting again. The ball went through the hoop and bounced over to Takanori, so he picked it up. He bounced it a few times as he walked closer, earning a smile from the blonde. He looked up at Reita, who nudged his head towards the basket, telling him to shoot. The chestnut sighed, but bounced it one more time before throwing it up. It hit the back board, bounced off, and shot back towards Reita. The blonde dodged it with a yelp.

“Sorry.” Takanori mumbled.

Reita laughed and went after the ball. He waved for the other to come over. “Come here.”

The chestnut walked over, where he was handed the ball again. He was turned around and pushed closer to the net. The blonde pressed his body against the shorter, using his knees to bend Takanori’s legs and push him down a little. Reita moved the chestnut’s hands around the ball, then brought it closer.

“Don’t use just your arms.”The athlete patted Takanori’s arms. “Use your legs to thrust the power through to your arms, then push them out towards your target and let go. You have to feel it. Now try, aim for the square on the back board.”

The chestnut stared at the red shape above the net. He took a deep breath before throwing the ball towards it, only for it to bounce off and go to the side. “It’s useless.”

Reita only laughed as he went to retrieve the ball. “You put too much power behind it. Let’s try again.”

“No thanks.”

“Why not?”

“We need to get going.”

The blonde hummed for a second as he walked closer. “How about this? You try one more time, and you have to try. If you miss, we’ll leave and study as much as you want. If you make it, then you come over and chill with me for a few hours.”

“No, we need to study. We have tests coming up which you need to pass unless you don’t want to play.”

“Don’t you know studying too much could have the same effect as not studying at all?”

“That’s a lie.” Takanori rolled his eye placed his hands on his hips.

“No, it’s totally true. My sister told me that’s what her problem was in High school. She studied too much. Besides, you’re the smartest kid in class, I think you could take one night off. I doubt it’ll affect you much.”

“You don’t get it, do you.” The chestnut growled. “I _have_ to study. I _have_ to get the best grades. I _have_ to be perfect!”

“Nobody’s perfect.” Reita smiled at the glaring tutor. “We all have to try our hardest to get to where we can, where we are able to go. I try my hardest. My reading is getting better, it has been and you helping is making me even better at it. I know it hasn’t been long, but you really are making a difference. Really, you don’t have to get the best grades. You just have to work hard to earn them. That should be good enough.”

“Like I said, you don’t get it. I won’t get accepted unless I’m perfect. They’ll only let me be me if I’m perfect. It doesn’t matter how hard I work, if I don’t get perfect scores, it was for nothing. Then I’m considered ‘nothing’. I’m hopeless, useless, I can’t follow my dreams, I can’t do what I want, I can only walk down the path that was given to me.”

“Then make a new path.”

“What?”

Reita pushed the ball into his tutor’s hands. “Make a new path. Step to the side into the unknown and leave a trail. Study, but study for yourself, no one else.  Do what you dream of doing, don’t let anybody get in your way and if they do, go through them. Don’t let anyone stop you. You’re smart, you’re strong, resilient, and a kind person. You can make it to your dream, but you have to take the first step, even if you’re doing it on your own. Nothing changes if nothing changes. You have to do what you want to do. That’s the only way you’ll be happy.”

Takanori looked at the ball. “But I have to…be perfect.”

“Stop saying that. Nobody can be perfect. Nobody. Not me, not you, not Aoi, not my dad, not your dad, not your mom, nor…my…mom. This is the last time I’m going to tell you, nobody is perfect. I don’t want to ever hear you say that you have to be, because you don’t. You just have to be you.”

“You don’t know my father.”

“I know him enough to want to punch him.”

The chestnut looked up at Reita. “What? You haven’t even met him.”

“I may have a hard time reading, but I’m not stupid. I’ve seen the way you scarf down food at my place, how skinny you are when we change for PE, the bruises you try to cover with makeup. The way you’re nervous and on guard around people. He’s hurt you, in more ways than one.”

Takanori sighed and looked at the basketball hoop. He bent his knees, adjusted his hands, and bent his body a little bit. He took a breath as he stretched out his legs, then his torso, and finally, pushing the ball out of his hands. He watched the ball with wide eyes as it hit the back board, then the rim, and bounced on it twice, before falling to the side…missing the net. The ball bounced, then rolled to a stop at the tutor’s feet.

The younger’s eyebrow twitched. “ _Fuck it!”_ He yelled, kicking the ball into the wall. He turned on his heels and started walking to his bag while Reita stood there with wide eyes. The blonde was surprised by the outburst and the reaction. Takanori tossed his bag on his back and glared over at the athlete. “I don’t watch much tv, but I hate sports, so you better have something good to watch when we get there.”

Reita eyes really got big, but he smiled and shook his head as he ran to grab his bags as well. As they walked out, the ball finally stopped rolling behind them when it hit the closing doors.

            After the last bell, Kai had quickly packed his things and started making his way home. At least, that was the last thing he remembered as he opened his eyes. He was laying on a cold floor, his head was throbbing, and so was his side. As he sat up, he felt the world spinning, he could hear muffled screams, and someone yelling. He gripped his side as he gasped in pain, pushing himself against something stable, he looked around. He was in the kitchen, broken dishes were laying all over the floor with pans and food. He looked down to find a small puddle of blood, no bigger than his palm, then he saw something red drip onto his free hand. He brought it up to his chin to feel something wet and warm. He moved it and saw blood on the tips of his fingers. He moved the digits up the trail that was running down his cheek until he hissed at the sharp pain on the side of his head. He pulled away as he looked around again. He fought back the pain in his body as he forced himself to his feet and started staggering around. He still felt dizzy, but made his way to the living room, the muffled noises started to clear up and he could the sound of someone crying. He walked down the hallway, leaning on the wall so he wouldn’t fall.  He had to stop for a moment as a wave nausea hit him, but he shook it off. His ears started ringing a bit before he could suddenly hear clearly again. Walking to his mom’s room, he could hear her crying, so he opened the door.

“I’m sorry sweetie.” His father hummed, hugging his naked, bloody wife. “It was the alcohol. I’m sorry, I just wasn’t me. I need help is all.”

She shook her head, before giving her husband a kiss. Kai felt his body fill with rage. “You can’t be serious?”

They looked up at him. “Yutaka, I just need help. Can’t you see that? Your mother can.”

“I don’t see how. Mom, can’t you see he’s brainwashing you? He’s said this every time things got out of hand, every time he could be caught. He’s lying!”

“Stop it Yutaka.” She whimpered. “He just needs help.”

“Then why hasn’t he got it? Why does he keep doing this to us? He keeps hurting you and me.” He cried, earning a glare from his father. His mother huddled more into the man. “ _Look at me, mother!”_

She flinched, but kept her eyes shut. Kai watched as his father whispered in her ear before picking her up, and laying her on the bed. He glared at the brunette before walking to him and pushing him out as he closed the door. The teen yelped and fell down, gripping his side. He grunted as his head was yanked up by his hair. He could feel his father’s breath on his face. “You will not tell anyone what I did. You did not come home to see us fighting and I did not kick nor punch you. You didn’t attack me, you didn’t throw dishes at me, nor did you destroy the kitchen. I didn’t slam your head into the counter. You got mugged. A group of people attacked you and you barely got away. You got it. That’s what you tell the nurses, that’s what you tell the doctor, that’s what you tell the police. You got it?”

“Fuck off.” Kai mumbled. His father slapped him across the face.

“If you dare tell _anyone_ , I will slit your mother’s throat and slit yours while I’m at it. You got that?” He whispered, but when Kai didn’t an answer, he gripped the brunette’s throat, pushed him on his back, and started choking him. Kai gripped the wrists around his throat and started kicking his legs, but the fingers only got tighter, completely cutting his air supply off. He tried to scream, but nothing came out, then he resorted to begging his father to stop with inaudible whimpers. The man above had glossy eyes, he was in a drunken rage that couldn’t be stopped.

‘Is it over?’ Kai thought, still trying to get free. ‘Will this man, whom I despise, kill me? Set me free of his tortures? If I fight back a little more, my oxygen will run out completely and I can die. I don’t mind. I have nothing keeping me here. Mother, she’s so controlled by his punishments, she’s too scared to do anything. Will she be safe without me? What good would I be able to do anyways? I’m about to die.’

_“Uke-san, you’re my only friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”_

‘Miyavi? Why did…I…think about him?’ Kai’s legs tensed up as his body tried one last time to get air. His vision started going black and his body fell to floor. His grip on his father’s wrists loosened and his arms fell to the side. ‘Mi…Miyavi, sorry. I couldn’t help you.’ He thought as he closed his eyes, going into eternal sleep.

            Reita opened his front door and threw his things to the side as he took his shoes off. Takanori followed suit, then sat on the couch as Reita headed into the kitchen. The blonde started messing around with some dishes. He pulled out a pan, a spatula, two plates, and a knife.  He started pulling out the bread, some butter, and a few slices of cheese. Getting curious, Takanori got up and walked in to inspect what the other was doing. He watched as Reita sat the pan on the stove and turned it on, then started buttering the bread.

“What are you doing?”

The blonde kept a small smile on his face. “Making grilled cheese.”

“You need any help?”

“Not really, but you can if you want to.”

The chestnut shrugged his shoulders. “What do you need?”

Reita hummed for a second before giving a thoughtful sound. “The cabinet by the fridge has some tomato soup in it, grab two cans, then grab two bowls out of the cabinet in here.” He pointed the knife at the door on the right of the microwave, which sat above the stove. The tutor shook his head and started on his tasks. He was thankful that the soup was on the bottom shelf, he quickly placed them beside the plates, then went to grab the two bowls. He opened up the cans and dumped the contents into the bowl.

“Fill half a can with water and pour it into each one then stir. We’ll put them in the microwave in a minute.”

Takanori did his job, then watched as the blonde flipped the sandwiches in the pan, then sat a bowl in to cook. Two sandwiches were quickly done and placed on a plate, then two more were made up and placed in the pan. The chestnut wondered. “Where did you learn to cook this?”

Reita stopped for a second and tilted his head, hiding his face with his hair. “My…mom taught me. She could always make it better though. I don’t how she did it, but…it tasted the best when she made it.”

“May I ask, where she’s at?”

The sound of the timer went off and the blonde quickly switched out the bowls. “She’s traveling the world.”

Takanori raised a brow, but nodded. “And your dad?”

“Working…somewhere.”

“What do you mean?”

Reita flipped the grilled cheese sandwiches. “He’s in another country. He works for an engineering company that does work in Europe.”

“Oh. I guess that’s cool. I wish my dad would get away for a while.”

“I hate it.” Reita mumbled. “I hate being alone all the time. I hate it when it’s quiet and when I have no one to talk to.”

The chestnut scratched his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” The blonde smiled. He sat the two sandwiches on the second plate as the soup got done. “The cabinet beside the sink has some cups in it. If you’d grab two, I’ll set the table.”

The tutor shook his head and went to the cabinet as the athlete placed the plates  where they would be eating. Takanori reached up, his finger barely curling around the handle of a glass. He gripped it and pulled it down, then reached for a second one. He grabbed it, but as he was leveling his feet, the  glass broke from the handle and shattered on the floor. The two boys jumped at the sound.

“I’m so sorry!” The chestnut bent down to clean it up. “It just broke off, I didn’t mean to do it.”

Reita walked over and looked at the handle in the other’s hand it looked like a smooth break. “Ah, that was Kai’s favorite cup. The handle had broke off once before and he just glued it back on. It probably just wore off after a while.” They quickly cleaned it up and dumped the glass in the trash can.

“I guess I’ll have to replace it.” Reita sighed.

“I broke it, I’ll buy you a new one.”

“Technically, Kai broke it. He had his hand wrapped around it and when he went to set it down, he hit the handle on the wall and it snapped off. So it’s ok.”

Takanori shook his head. The blonde got another cup and filled them both with some Coca cola as his tutor set the bowls beside the plates. They set down in their normal seats and started on their meal. The chestnut watched as Reita dipped his grilled cheese in the soup, so he did the same.

“This is good!” Takanori said.

“Yeah, I know.” The athlete winked. The other simply rolled his eyes and continued on.

            After they were finished, Takanori helped washed the dishes, then sat on the couch and waited for Reita to finish putting things up. The blonde eventually sat down and turned the tv on to a random channel, making sure it wasn’t sports.

“So where did the name ‘Reita’ come from?”Takanori ask out of the blue, he himself did really think about it.

The blonde hummed. “When I met Aoi, we both had problems at home. We started talking and he got in trouble one day with his dad. Well, I stood there and watched him get his ass chewed out. In the end, he was complaining kept saying ‘Yuu this…Yuu that…’ He said he hated his name. He hated his life at home. One day he came up to me and said ‘I want my friends to call me Aoi.’ He said he wanted to be different, to get away from his life even it was for a little bit. Kai followed his lead said he wanted everyone to call him that. He didn’t want his friends to use the same name as his parents used. I felt kind of left out, so I told them I wanted to be called Reita. They laughed at first, but they liked that I had a nickname too. So I kept it.”

“Oh.”

“You can call me that if you want. I don’t mind, if you’re comfortable with it that is.”

“Reita-san.”

“Hmm, no -san.”

“Ok then.” The chestnut turned towards the tv.

“So can I call you Takanori-kun? Or how about Taka-chan?”

“Call me Take-chan, and I’ll rip your balls off.”

Reita gripped himself and laughed a bit. “So violent for such a short thing!”

The chestnut felt a vein pop out of his forehead. He jumped up and tackled the athlete onto his back. Then started poking his chest.“Don’t call me short!”

The blonde started laughing. “Stop, that tickles!

Takanori grinned. “Oh?” He wiggled his fingers and started attacking the older teen’s chest and sides, making him laugh hysterically. Reita wiggled around, trying to get away from the fingers, but only made it worse as the shorter boy found new places to tickle. The blonde begged for him to stop while laughing so hard, his eyes started to water. He finally turned the other way, making them both lose balance and roll off the couch. Reita sat up to where he was on top and his attacker was beneath him. The blonde’s eyes shined evilly, making Takanori shiver.

“Kaa!” The chestnut yelped when Reita started tickling him back. He kept snorting like a pig, making the athlete laugh even harder. “Stop!” The younger giggled.

Reita laughed as he pulled away and they set there trying to catch their breathes for a moment. The blonde stood up and pulled Takanori up to his feet, before they set back down on the couch. They took deep breathes before giggling again, then they finally stopped.

“Well, that was fun.” Reita stated.

“Hmm. What other stuff do you do with friends?”

“Well, we usually don’t tickle each other, but that was fun. I should attack Aoi sometime to see his reaction. Usually, we play video games, watch tv, talk about girls, stuff like that.”

“I don’t know how to play video games. My parents would never buy me any. I don’t even have a tv in my room, so I don’t even know what shows are popular. I’m not really interested in girls.”

“Eh? Not interested in girls…are you gay?”

“What?” Takanori shouted. “No! I’m not interested in people.”

“Eh…”The blonde thought for a moment. “Bestiality?”

“I will fucking murder you.”

Reita laughed and patted the younger’s back. “I was just joking, chill alright. But uh, you seriously don’t like…people I guess you’d say. Or do you not like sex?”

“Well…” Takanori’s face turned red.

“Oh, are you a virgin?”

“I’m leaving.” The chestnut stood up.

“Don’t leave!” Reita grabbed the younger’s wrist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I won’t talk about it anymore. Just don’t leave, not yet.”

Takanori could see the desperation in the blonde’s face and hear it in his voice. He really didn’t want to be alone. “Fine.” As he sat back down, Reita turned the tv up, but that didn’t take away the silence that had fallen between them. The chestnut looked over to find the athlete staring blankly at the tv. Takanori sighed, but decided to watch it as well. Some show with people talking about their pets was on. He really didn’t take an interest in this.

‘Maybe I overreacted?’ He thought. ‘But he had no right to say that. Then again, he was only playing around. Why do I have to be so serious all the time?’ He looked over at his companion again. ‘I caused him to make such a face. That cheerfulness is all gone now and it’s my fault. I’m such a fuck up. All I do is ruin things.’

“Rukia hates that dog food, she prefers the premium brand. It helps her coat shine and helps keeps her teeth clean.” A woman said, petting her Boxer.

“Oh.” Reita placed his fist lightly into the other. “Rukia. That could be your nickname.”

“No way in hell.” Takanori said.

“Eh, but it’s cute.”

“It’s a girl’s name and you got it from a dog!”

The blonde scratched his head. “Well, Boxers are strong dogs. And you’re a strong person.”

“You talk to me like you know me. I’m not strong, so stop calling me that. I can’t defend myself or fight or any of that stuff.”

“I wasn’t talking about physically. You deal with the bullies, sometimes you stand up to them, and even outsmart them. When they do something to you, you don’t cry about it nor do you dread it. You just go on with your life. You push forward. You’re mentally strong and that’s what keeps you from breaking under the pressures of school and home.”

“What do you know about the pressures I deal with? You don’t know anything about me.”

“I would if you would just let me in. Tell me about it.”

“No way.” Takanori crossed his arms.

“Then I’ll wait until you do.”

“You’ll be waiting for a long time.”

“Then I’ll make you a deal.” Reita smiled. “When you start telling me about yourself, I’ll start telling you about myself. How about it?”

“What’s something I don’t know about you? You’re happy, you got money, you don’t have any problems other than reading which is probably your own damn fault, you don’t have parents that bother you, and you have all the friends you could want at school. You’re popular, great at sports, and great with the girls.”

“Girls are annoying, I don’t like them that much, even in sex. Most of them have annoying high pitch moans that they think is sexy, but it isn’t. I practiced basketball and soccer for so long, of course I’d be good at it, and I don’t want to be popular. I’d rather have a few good friends than a bunch that I don’t trust and that would probably leave me anyways. I want my parents to bother me, I want them to come home and spend time with me. I have more problems than you could ever imagine. I don’t have that much money, just enough to get by. And who said anything about being happy?”

Takanori stared at him. “What are you getting at?”

“You don’t know me either, so don’t be like everyone else and assume shit that’s not true.”

The chestnut sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re right, I shouldn’t do that. I just thought…forget what I thought. Apparently I was wrong.”

“Everyone acts differently at school than they do at home, it may be a little bit, it may be completely different, but everyone does it.” Reita mumbled.

“I guess so.” The other mumbled. He sighed and closed his eyes, but they shot open when he felt something on his lap. He looked down to find that the blonde had laid his head on it. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll tell you a secret. You can’t tell anyone ok. I love to lay my head on someone’s lap and have them rub my head. It eases the stress from my body. I lay my head on my sister’s lap whenever she’s here and she always massages my head. Aoi and Kai do it sometimes too if I get real bad.”

“You want me to massage your head?” Takanori asked.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I’ll move.” Reita mumbled, but before he could get up, a hand was placed on his forehead. The chestnut was leaning on his other hand, looking out the window as he started rubbing his fingers through the other’s hair. The athlete closed his eyes and concentrated on the gentle fingers rubbing his scalp.

“I like the name Ruki.” Takanori mumbled.

Reita smiled. “Ruki. I like it too. May I call you that?”

“Call me whatever you want.”

“Ruki-chan.”

“I’ll kill you.”

The blonde laughed as he turned his head to the side, feeling the fingers massage his head. It’s been a while since he’s felt so comfortable.


	11. Chapter 11

            His eyes fluttered open to see the dim ceiling above his head. His body ached, but he sat up on the bed. He looked over to find the other side empty, but a mess and he could smell soap. He looked over at the sink to find the man he slept with, fixing his tie in the mirror. The business man looked through the mirror and smiled before turning to walk back to the bed.

“I had fun. We should do it again sometime.” He said, taking some money out of his pocket. He handed it to Kouyou, who gladly accepted it, along with the man’s business card. “That should cover the expenses of the night. Call me when you’re looking for a good time. I’ll turn in the key.”

The brunette shook his head with small smile as he watched the man leave the room. He whimpered and dropped the money on the bed. He stumbled off onto shaky legs and staggered to the bathroom where he bursted in to tears. He covered his face as he fell to the floor and cried out. He hated himself so much right now, he despised himself. He had sunken so low into doing it with strangers that he’s never even seen before. He looked down at his bruised wrists, then moved his hand back behind him to inspect the damage. He brought his fingers back up to see sticky lube and semen. That was his first time not using a condom. The outside world was harsh, cold, and just downright painful. He stood up and got into the shower, where he turned the hot water on all the way, then sat on his knees. He hugged his arms and started crying some more. He was officially a prostitute. He’s never felt so defiled, or sick, than he does now. He finally started washing himself up, taking extra care of his tender spots, before he rinsed off and got out. He wrapped a towel around his waist, then one around his hair and walked out to start gathering up his clothes. He sat them to the side as he started drying his hair, but stopped when he notice something. He picked up the bills the man paid him and his eyes went wide. Ten large bills in his hands that could pay his rent for two months, buy groceries for a month and have some to save. He smiled.

‘Maybe this gig isn’t so bad.’ He sighed. Deciding to put aside rent for this month, grocery money, and some to save for Satomi’s school. The rest, however, was going to Mayu.

            Strange noises woke Takanori from his slumber. His eyes opened up slowly to see the night sky through the window. He felt something move on his legs and he looked down when he heard a whimper. Reita’s eyes were clenched shut, his teeth were grinding and his hands were clenching the younger one’s shirt. The chestnut looked up at the tv, it had gone to a dog show, but he looked down at the box below it to see that it was almost midnight. He heard another whimper from the teen in his lap.

‘He’s having a nightmare.’ He thought. He reached down and shook the blonde’s shoulder. “Reita-san, wake up. Reita-san.”

The athlete’s gripped tightened and he moved his legs up to curl into a ball. Takanori sighed as he started shaking the other again. The blonde whimpered. “No.”

Before the chestnut could realize what was happening, Reita had raised up and pulled him into a bear hug.  “Let go!” The tutor yelped, struggling in the grasp. He tried pushing away and sliding, but that couldn’t get him out of the death grip around him. “Let me go Suzuki-san!”

Takanori started jerking, but that soon ended when the both of them fell to the floor. The chestnut was still in Reita’s strong grasp, but was now pinned against the couch and the ground. The blonde screamed out, gripping one of his hands onto Takanori’s chest.

“Damn it! Let go of me _Suzuki!”_ The tutor yelled.

 _“Mother!”_ Reita cried out, clawing his hand down the younger’s chest, ripping the shirt. _“No!”_

Takanori hissed in pain as he felt nails dragging down his skin. He started punching the blonde’s back, but that didn’t help any. The athlete’s cries became louder as he pushed his body against the chestnut’s. “Suzuki! Wake up! Let me go, you’re hurting me!”

“ _Don’t leave.”_ The blonde whimpered. _“Please don’t leave….don’t leave me! Mother!”_

The tutor growled as he leaned over and harshly bit down on Reita’s shoulder. He felt and tasted the blood from the attack, but that didn’t stop the screaming either. He felt his spine popping from the tight grip of the blonde’s right arm. He tried to pull away again, but he stopped when he realized something. He looked down to confirm the wetness on his shirt to be Reita crying. He took moment to actually see the blonde’s face full of pain and sadness. He sat there as the athlete continued to beg and call out to his mother. He lowered his hand and moved the hair out of Reita’s face, before he started massaging the blonde’s head. He watched as the other’s face slowly changed to a calm one and the grip lightened up. The arm around his body fell limply around his waist as the head lowered and the athlete’s body relaxed. “What happened to you?”

The blonde didn’t respond right away. He started moving and grunting as his eyes opened up. He blinked before sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “How did we get down here?”

“You had a nightmare.” Takanori said bluntly. “And you became rather violent.”

Reita’s eyes widen in shock as he looked at the chestnut’s torn shirt and the scratches down his torso. “I am so sorry! I…I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I’ll go get the first aid.”

“Calm down, I’m not bleeding. You fell asleep, so what. We all have nightmares, you just had a really bad one.”

Reita looked away. “Yeah. I’ll go get you a shirt. I’ll replace that one.”

Takanori bobbed his head. “Ok, could I use your phone? I need to call my dad cause I stayed here so late.”

“I’m sorry.” Reita mumbled. He pulled out his cell phone and handed it over. He headed upstairs to his room where he started going through his dresser. He pulled out the smallest shirt he could find. It was red with a black bird on the chest, flying off a branch. He went back down to the living room where he found Takanori having an argument.

“I didn’t mean to stay out so late! We just lost track of time studying…I’m sorry!” The chestnut growled. “I didn’t mean to! ...There aren’t any buses running right now, I can’t make it home!”

“Tell your parents you can stay here, I don’t mind.” Reita said.

“He said I could stay here for the night…I was not partying!” Takanori yelled. “I was studying and helping him study! Why don’t you ever believe me?...I’m not him…I…”

Reita watched as the other closed the phone with a hurt expression. “What did they say?”

“Of course you’re not him, he’s not a failure like you. Just stay there, I don’t’ want to deal with you tonight.”

“That’s awful.”

“That’s my dad.” Takanori yawned and stretched.

“Come with me.” Reita stood up. “I’ll get you some clothes to sleep in. You can sleep in my bed, I’ll take the couch.”

            Kouyou stepped inside the apartment, carrying six bags. He kicked his shoes off and headed into the kitchen where he took out various snacks and foods. He put them up in different cabinets and some in the fridge. After that, he took two teddy bears out a bag along with a doll. He took them to the back room where his sisters slept. He placed the two bears between them, then moved the doll into Mayu’s arms. He snuck away and went into the closet where he placed the money in the safe before changing into some pajamas. He slipped out, then made his pallet of blankets and laid down. He looked over at the alarm clock to find it a little past midnight. He sighed as he rolled on his side and curled into a ball. He hugged himself as he tried not to cry. He still felt dirty from what he did and not even buying his sisters presents was making him feel better. He just wanted to forget it and just sleep.

            He awoke to the alarm clock going off. It only felt like a few minutes since he fell asleep, but it had been several hours, just not enough. He slipped out and turned it off before he got dressed. He quickly did his makeup, then headed out to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He started the rice, some fish and some eggs. He worked hard making the meal, he wanted it to be perfect for his sisters. It had to be perfect for them or the night before would have been for nothing. Everything has to be perfect for them, or nothing he’s done or will do, would be for nothing. He neatly made their plates and set up the table before walking back there to wake them up. He sat on the edge and shook their shoulders.

“Mayu, Satomi, it’s time to get up.”

The girls groaned as they set up and rubbed their eyes. The youngest hummed for a second before picking up the doll. “What’s this?”

“Your doll. I bought it for you last night. I know it’s not much, but I’ll get you more toys soon, ok?” Kouyou smiled.

His younger sister shrugged her shoulders. “Ok.” She held the doll as they walked into the kitchen and sat down in front of their meal. As they started, the brunette slipped his school jacket on and headed over to put his shoes on.

“What about you, Kouyou?” Satomi asked.

“I’m going to be late for school, don’t worry about me.”He said as he tied his shoes. He stood up and waved. “I’ll see you two later.”

They watched as he grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

            As soon as he walked into the classroom, Aoi pulled him over to his group of Reita, Takanori, and Miyavi. The brunette was confused at first, but sat down nonetheless. The magenta boy smiled. “My parents loved you! Thank you so much! You don’t believe how much you helped me out. Do you think you could do it a few times a week? Just stop by and hang out for a few hours? I’ll pay you for every night.”

Kouyou sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. Sure, but what about clothes. I just can’t keep using that one uniform. What about weekends? I doubt I could get by with that.”

“Reita can help us out with that, right Rei?” Aoi looked over at his friend to find him zoned out. “Rei!”

“Huh?”

“You okay? You’re zoning out. Did you not get any sleep last night?”

“No, well I mean I got plenty, but that’s not it.” The blonde said. “Kai’s not here yet. It’s weird.”

“Yeah, I walked up and down the street cause I thought I was early or something.” Miyavi said. “But he wasn’t around, so I figured he came here. I haven’t seen him though.”

“It is unusual for him to be missing.” Aoi mumbled. “Maybe he’s sick. We can head over there after school if he doesn’t show up.”

The other two shook their heads while Takanori and Kouyou just looked at each other.

            The day went on like normal, though the teens were worried about their friend. It was unlike him to miss school and if he was going to, he would usually tell someone so nobody would be worried. That’s what was making everyone so nervous, that he didn’t call one person about why he wouldn’t be there today. It had been bugging Reita to the point he was zoning out during classes. Then at lunch, he wasn’t even eating, just thinking that Kai is sick or hurt or lost or dead. He didn’t want to think that way, but he did.

“Yo, Rei!” Aoi waved his hand in front of the blonde’s face. “Kai wouldn’t want you like this. You better eat.”

The athlete took a minute to acknowledge what he was told. He shook his head and looked to this side to find Takanori sitting by himself at his table. Reita stood up, picking up his tray. “I’m going to go sit over there. Come if you want.”

The magenta boy watched as his best friend walked and over to another table with the lonely chestnut. He stood up with his tray and followed, ignoring the pleas for him to stay and hang out with the other teens at the table. Reita sat his tray beside Takanori and sat down, surprising him. “I feel like sitting with you today.”

The tutor tilted his head. “Why?”

“I just said it’s cause I feel like it. Besides, I rather sit where it’s quiet than around those annoying people.”

Aoi sat across from them and started eating without a word, leaving Takanori dumbfounded. He looked at the two friends before scratching his head. “This is weird.”

“So.” The pink haired teen mumbled. “We’d rather sit with you.”

“Why?”

“You seem like a good friend to have. Reita doesn’t hate you and he seems to choose you over them.” Aoi pointed at the group of popular kids.

“Do you always follow him?” The chestnut asked.

“We follow each other.” Reita mumbled. “He never wanted to hang out with them anyways, he just did it cause I asked him to. I’m sitting where he’s more comfortable now.”

“Around me?”

“You’re cool.” Aoi said. Takanori pinched himself, he didn’t think those words would ever fall out of someone’s mouth and be aimed at him.

“But how am I cool?”

“You’re helping Reita out aren’t you? And you haven’t asked anything in return. That seems pretty cool to me.”

“Don’t get me wrong.” Takanori said sternly. “I’m helping him for only my own benefit. It gets me out of Cram school and that’s the only reason.”

Aoi was silenced by that, but was startled when his friend spoke up. “Don’t let him get to you, Aoi. Give him about a week and he’ll warm up to you. It’s just his shield he puts up around people.”

“Hey!”

“He’s very kind actually.” Reita continued on. “He likes to help people, he just doesn’t like to show it.”

The tutor’s face turned red and he mumbled. “I-I do not.”

“I can believe that I guess.” Aoi said. “I’ll just have to hang out with you more, then. Call me Aoi by the way. Just plain Aoi.”

“And you can start calling me Reita. Just Reita, no suffixes. Ok, Ruki?”

“Huh?” Takanori was taken back.

“You like the name Ruki don’t you? I thought you said you did last night. Maybe you said Rukia and I missed heard you.” The blonde grabbed his chin and closed his eyes.

“No way! I already told you not to name me after a dog!”

“But I chose Rukia. You’re the one who said Ruki.”

Aoi was watching as the two bickered, but he smiled. He could see what the blonde meant. The chestnut was more outgoing around Reita. “Ruki suits you.” He caught their attentions. “We’ll call you that if you like it too. Only us though, only your friends.”

“Friends?” The younger muttered. Reita wrapped his arm around Ruki’s shoulders.

“Yeah. You’re our friend. So now you must endure the torture of laughing and having a good time.”

“Whatever.” The younger rolled his eyes and took a bite as he placed his head on his hand. Reita laughed as Aoi giggled a bit. The magenta boy looked past them though to see Kouyou sitting in a lonely spot, looking sadly at his hands. The brunette was always alone, never laughing or having fun. Aoi felt bad for him, but he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t just want to invite him out of the blue to his group of friends. Especially since he didn’t know the other teen that well. He continued to think about such things as he listened to the two in front of him playfully bicker. Reita wouldn’t stop teasing the poor kid, but he doubted Ruki minded that much. It seemed that the chestnut was having fun if you looked past his mask. You could catch playful smiles and him trying to hold back laughs as they went on. After lunch they continued on with their classes. It seemed like lunch had distracted Reita for a little bit, but not when they got back to class. He started wondering where his friend was again. It wasn’t until after the last bell that they would get an answer. They were heading down to Aoi’s car to go to Kai’s place to check up on him. As they were walking out the gate, they heard someone.

“Guys! Wait up!” They turned to find Miyavi running up to them. “Reita, Aoi, wait!”

As he made it up to them, Reita stepped forward. “What is it?”

“It’s about Kai.” The half blonde gasped.

            The smell of antiseptics filled his nose as his senses started kicking in. He could hear beeping noises filling his ears as his eyes opened up to see a dim ceiling. A faint voice caught his attention and he looked over to see a blur moving around. He felt a hand on his and he squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again. As things started clearing up, he blinked a few more times to see who was beside him. “Mom?”

The woman smiled when her son recognized her. “Oh Yutaka, you’re ok.”

The brunette looked around to find monitors and a empty bed across from him. “A hospital?”

She shook her head. “You’re going to be ok now.”

He looked at her again. She wasn’t trying to hide the bruises on her face, her arm was still in the cast and sling. He went to say something, but his father stepped into his view and everything flashed in his eyes. The fight, how he attacked his father, how his father slammed his head into the counter top, how he was chocked until he passed out. His father rubbed his mother’s shoulder, showing a pocket knife in his hand as he did so. Sending a silent threat. “What happened?”

“Robbers came into our house and attacked us sweetie. Don’t you remember?” His mother squeezed his hand.

He closed his eyes, he wasn’t going to cooperate with this, but he wasn’t going to hurt his mother either. “I remember leaving for school this morning, then …nothing.”

“That was yesterday. You were attacked after you got home.” His father said gently. “You’ve been asleep since then.”

“I thought I lost you!” His mother whimpered, tightening her grip. “They strangled you and you weren’t moving. The paramedics came and said that you almost died. If they hadn’t been called when they did… I don’t want to even think about it.”

He could see the true tears falling from her face. He looked up to see his father glaring down at him. Kai went to glare back, but they heard someone walking in and they turned to see a doctor. “Uke- san, you’re up. I’m glad. How are you feeling?”

“Like crap.”

The doctor shook his head. “Well, better than feeling pain. We have you on morphine so you wouldn’t be in too much, I’m glad it’s working well.”

“Pain? Am I hurt?”

“Your head was split open, which caused a concussion,  and the second rib on your left side has a hairline fracture. You took quite a beating.”

The brunette turned his head to look up at the ceiling. “Oh. When will I be discharged?”

“Well, we’d like for you to stay one more night to be on the safe side. So for now just rest.”

“Um…”His mother spoke. “Some of his friends are here, could they come in?”

“As long as it’s alright with you, then yes. I’ll go get them for you.” The doctor smiled, then left the room.

His mother whimpered when his father yanked her hair. “Who said you could ask him that?”

“Stop it.” Kai almost shouted, earning a glare. His father let go, but moved to his son.

“If you tell a soul what happened, I will kill the both of you. I need to leave for work. Honey, I’m dropping you off at home.”

His wife nodded her head before leaning over and kissing her son’s forehead. “Be good sweetie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kai watched as they walked out together and he sighed. He didn’t want his mother going home, not with that man, but maybe he wouldn’t do anything. Not if they were coming back tomorrow. The doctors would see that something was wrong if she was hurt all of a sudden. He sighed in slight relief in hopes that his father wouldn’t be that stupid. Then again, if he was, the doctors would suspect something and call the police. But then, they would be forced to lie. There was no way out of this. Hearing footsteps entering the room, the brunette slowly sat up to find four familiar faces.

“Kai!” Miyavi yelped, sitting on the bed. “Are you ok? You weren’t hurt too badly right?”

“I’ll be ok.”

“What happened?” Aoi asked.

“Some guys tried to rob the house and they kind of beat the crap out of me.” Kai laughed. “It’s nothing, really, I’ll be ok.”

“That’s good.” Ruki sighed. “We were worried when Miyavi ran to us saying that you were in the hospital.

Oh,” the brunette looked at the mention teen. “How did you know?”

“Well, I heard a few kids say that they saw an ambulance at your place last night. I asked them what happened. All they said was that they saw cops and paramedics going into your house. I was scared when they told me that. I thought you were seriously hurt or worse.” The half blonde gripped Kai’s hands.

The brunette smiled. “Thank you, but I’m fine. Nothing bad happened.”

“I hate it...” Reita mumbled, catching their attentions. “…when you lie straight to my face about these things.”

“Reita?” Ruki questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“It was him, wasn’t it?”

Kai looked away, bringing attention to himself. Miyavi gripped his shoulders. “You know who did this? _Who?_ ”

“I…it’s nothing, really.” The brunette mumbled.

“It was your father again. He crossed the line this time!” The blonde growled and turned to leave.

“No! Aoi stop him!”

The pink haired boy grabbed his friend and held him as he tried to pull away. “Let me go!”

“Please Reita, he’ll kill my mom!” That stopped the blonde from moving another muscle and his best friend’s eyes grew wide. “He’ll kill me and my mom if I tell anyone what happened.”

“So this…” Miyavi grazed Kai’s blue neck. “was done by your father?”

The brunette closed his eyes. “Yes.”

“That bastard!” The half blonde growled. “He tried to kill you. He hurt you! We can’t let him get away with this!”

“He will get away.” Kai mumbled. “He’ll hurt my mother if he doesn’t. He’s holding her hostage. It’s ok, I can get through it. I’m not some weakling.”

Ruki was surprised to see a smile forming on the hurt teen’s bruised lips. He took a better look at Kai. The brunette’s face was swollen, his neck blue and slightly purple from being choked, his arms have green, blue, and purple bruises on them. His knuckles were scabbing over from punching back, and his head was bandaged up. He thought about what Reita said to him. How the blonde thought he was strong even though he can’t physically defend himself. He’s seeing what the athlete meant now. Kai is also strong even if he was physically weaker, he’s not giving up, he’s pushing forward. Ruki smiled a little. ‘I guess I’m not that weak either.’

“I’m here for you.” Miyavi said, pulling Kai into a hug. “If you need help, just tell me because I don’t want to lose what’s precious to me. I don’t want to lose my only friend.”

“There’s always a bed for you at my place.” Aoi said. “My parents won’t mind helping you out if you need it.”

“Same here.” Reita said, pulling away from his friend. “We don’t want to lose a good friend. If you need us, just tell us. Don’t take it all by yourself. Let us help you. that’s what we’re here for.”

Kai smiled even bigger, letting tears run down his face. He leaned into Miyavi’s embrace. “Thank you.”


	12. Chapter 12

            The next morning, Ruki woke up to his alarm clock like usual. He slipped out of bed and walked over to his closet to pull his uniform out when his father barged in. The chestnut placed his clothes on the bed and looked at the man in front of him.

“Yes?”

His father pulled a moleskin sketch book form behind his back, making his son’s eyes grow wide. “What is this?”

Ruki quickly lifted his mattress to find that his sketch book gone. “You had no right going through my room!”

His father glared at him as he opened the book and showed a picture of a clothing design. “I don’t know what brought up these silly sketches, but I forbid you to draw! This choice you’re making is unacceptable. You will have nothing to do with clothes or designs or art. Do I make myself clear?”

“Why?” Ruki snapped. “You let Shin do whatever he wants!”

“He’s not a failure like you!” His father yelled ripping a page out.

 _“No!”_ The chestnut gasped as he ran to the falling paper. His father pushed him back and continued to rip out the pages unevenly, tearing right into the pictures. Ruki tried to stop him, but would only get slapped in the face. In the end, he gave up like he always does. He watched as one last paper fell, then the cover of the sketch book dropped on top of the pile.

“Clean this up. I better not see another one again, or the punishment will be worse.” His father said sternly as he walked out of the room. Ruki grabbed the pile of papers and sniffled as he stuffed them into the moleskin, then hid it deep inside his closet. He looked at the time and decide that he wasted enough of it. He quickly got dressed and ready for school, but before he headed downstairs, he took a quick trip into his parents’ bedroom. They were most likely already eating, so he sneaked around the room until he found what he was looking for. He pulled his mother’s wallet out of her purse and opened it up. He grabbed a few bills out, stuffed them into his pocket, them went to his father’s nightstand. Inside was an emergency stash of money. He took some bills out of it as well, then headed back to his room to grab his book-bag, then he went downstairs. He didn’t bother going to the table, he doubted that there was anything for him there. So he just slipped his shoes on and walked out without giving so much as a ‘goodbye.’

            Across town, Miyavi was putting up his hair and finishing getting dressed. He grabbed his things and decided to go check up on Kai before he headed to school. He hoped to stay with him all day because for one; he didn’t want to go to school; and two, he really wanted to spend time with the brunette. He slapped himself in the head. ‘Idiot! I can’t have feelings for him. He’s trying to help me, plus he’s no position to have a druggie gay stalker. Besides, would I really risk the only friendship I have for something that won’t be returned? That’s right, I don’t care for him that way. I care for him as a close friend. Yeah.’

He smiled in the mirror. “I need to stop thinking strange things.” He walked to the living room where he heard an interesting conversation going on.

“What if they find you? They could kill the both of us.” His brother’s girlfriend said.

“Don’t’ worry Honey, they didn’t see me and they won’t be able to find me. Besides, they have plenty of it. They won’t miss a few grams or a few small bags. It’s fine.” His said nonchalantly.

“Still…”She muttered. “Stealing from drug dealers…isn’t that asking for trouble?”

Miyavi’s breath hitched, but he went to speak up. “You did something really stupid.”

His brother glared at him. “It’s none of your business. Why don’t you go on and play school?”

Miyavi shook his head. “You’re an idiot. If you you’re going to steal drugs from anybody, I rather you steal them from me.”

“Why? So you can get possessive over it and attack me?”

“I do not get possessive, and I don’t attack you.”

“You do. You think I’m stupid? I know that wasn’t normal coke you had laying around. You wouldn’t do that. So I flushed it down the toilet. It’s not nice making your brother sick.”

The half blonde kissed his teeth as he slipped on his shoes. “It’s your head. You better not drag me down with you.”

“Look at me.” His brother ordered. He turned to face him. “You’ll be just like me in a few years. No money with an addiction. Don’t worry, you’ll find ways to get your drugs. Just you wait and see.”

Miyavi huffed as he stepped out of the house. ‘There’s no way I’ll end up like him.’ He thought, walking down the street to the closest bus stop.

            Ruki left the store he went to and held up his new moleskin sketchbook. He sighed putting it into his book bag. He would have to keep it with him at all times if it were to stay safe. He also bought some more pencils to draw and color with. He made sure to spend every cent he stole from his parents and he wasn’t ashamed of it. They’ve taken so much from him, why should he just stand by and let them do it anymore? He’s had enough of it all. He was going draw, it was the only thing keeping sane anymore, but there was also something else. He stopped walking when Reita’s face popped into his head. Then Aoi’s and Kai’s did too. They were his…friends. He never really had any and the word was foreign to him, yet he could consider them friends. They did care for him, they’ve looked after him, and even helped him. He sighed and gave a little smile to himself. He started walking again only to find he was a few meters from the gate, so he quickly made it there. He found himself walking in rather early. There were barely any kids here and the main doors were still locked. He decided to just walk around until they opened up. He went behind the school and looked at the gym to find a door ajar, so he decided to go in. It couldn’t hurt and he would get to sit down. He made his way in and down the hallway to the double doors of the basketball court. He opened it up to find someone curled into a ball, laying in front of the hoop. He could here slight grunts coming from the form. Ruki dropped his things and rushed over to inspect the student.

“Reita?” He caught the other’s attention. The blonde’s face was covered in sweat, his eyes were squinted and he was slightly scowling. “What’s wrong?”

“Bad cramp…in my leg.” He grunted. The chestnut looked down to find him holding his calf of his left leg. The muscle was twitching and the hand around it was squeezing.

“Here, stand up.” He pulled on Reita’s arm, motioning for him to raise up. The blonde took Ruki’s help, still unsure about it, but got to his feet, and leaned on his tutor. The chestnut made him walk to the bleachers, then had him sit down.

“It started feeling a little better after that.” The blonde giggled. Ruki rolled his eyes as he lifted the legs and started massaging it a bit.

“I told you that you were exercising too much.”

“Really?”

His tutor shook his head. “Have you been hurting anywhere else or cramping up?”

“Now that you mentioned it…I have been rather sore in my shoulders and neck. My back hurts every now and then. I’ve been getting cramps in my legs and stomach.”

Ruki thumped him on the head. “Stop exercising! You’re going to end up tearing a muscle or something and then really can’t play.”

“What am I supposed to do if I can’t practice?”

The chestnut rolled his eyes. “Duh, you study. It’ll give your body a break and it’ll help your grades so you can play basketball.”

 “Mmm…ok. I guess I should listen to you since that sounds more logical.”

“It’s common sense.”

Reita just smiled his usual goofy smile.

            In the hospital, Kai was waking up. His body was used to getting up early every morning and his eyes just popped open. He slowly sat up, ignoring the throbbing sensation in his side. He rubbed his eyes with a yawn, but hissed at the sharp pain it cause. He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. He couldn’t believe he was this hurt. He was kind of pissed that it was going to about a month and a half before it was healed without incident. He knew it was going to be broken if he got into another fight with his father, which was bound to happen. He rubbed his neck and shivered.

‘He was really going to kill me.’ He hugged himself. ‘All of my friends would have been so sad. Miyavi would have been devastated, if he wasn’t already. I thought he was going to cry yesterday. Reita, oh, he would have killed dad for sure. Aoi probably would have helped him. Ruki…well he seemed relieved, but then held a plain face the whole time. I wonder if he really does care, but doesn’t want to show it. Maybe Reita is helping him open up. Or—’

A knock broke his thoughts and he looked up to find his classmate walking in. “Hey, how are feeling?”

“Miyavi? What are you doing here?”

The half blonde sat on the bed with a smile. “I came to check up on you of course. I wanted to see you before I headed to school, so I could let everyone know that you’re ok.”

Kai smiled. “Thank you. I’m doing fine. You were really going to school even though you knew I wasn’t.” He said, tugging at the other’s uniform.

Miyavi shook his head. “Yeah because I knew if I didn’t, then you would get mad at me again.”

“Again?”

“When we had that fight and I skipped the rest of the week. You came to my house and stayed the night.”

“Oh yeah. I wasn’t mad, just disappointed.”

The half blonde smiled. “Well, anyways, I just wanted to check up on you. Though I wasn’t expecting you to be awake. I’m glad you are, but you need your rest. Um…I guess I should go now. I’ll come by after school.”

Kai watched as he stood up and headed for the door. “Miyavi wait.” He waited for the other to turn around. He looked down to hide a faint blush. “I wouldn’t mind you skipping…if you, um…stayed here.”

The half blonde looked at him with wide eyes, but smiled and sat back down. “Really?”

The brunette shook his head. “I kind of…I don’t want to be alone. Especially when I get discharged.”

Miyavi raised his feet, kicking his shoes off. He tossed his bag on the floor and threw his school jacket onto the chair next to the bed. He crawled over and laid beside his friend. Kai looked down at him only to get a smile as the half blonde moved his hands behind his head. The other teen pursed his lips and nudged his head, then carefully laid back down. There was little room, so Miyavi moved his arms back down, allowing the brunette to lay his head on the other teens shoulder. The half blonde blushed, but they just stared up at the ceiling.

            Kai opened his eyes up again to find the sun shining more brightly in his window. He looked over to also find that he was laying on top of Miyavi’s body again. He carefully moved away and sat up. He looked down at the half blonde’s face to find it glowing in the sun’s rays and his hair sprawled out everywhere behind him. He traced the elder’s frame to his arms. He let out a slight laugh when he realized Miyavi was wearing a short sleeve white shirt instead of a long sleeve one. He smiled as he followed the arm until he saw the puncture marks from the half blonde stabbing needles into himself. Kai sighed as he grazed his fingers on the inner elbow. He looked sadly at Miyavi’s face as he rubbed his hand on the teen’s face.

“Why do you do this to yourself?”He whispered. Miyavi continued to sleep as Kai sighed and rubbed his head. The brunette watched with a solemn expression as the other breathed heavily. He didn’t how much time was passing, but he noticed the sun was moving away from Miyavi’s face and up on onto his own body. The half blonde took in a sharp breath and suddenly turned onto his side before opening up his eyes. His dark orbs looked up to his friend.

“Hey.” He mumbled.

“Morning.” Kai smiled.

The half blonde sat up and stretched. “How long were we asleep?”

“I’m not sure to be honest.”

Miyavi smiled. “Oh well. It looks like it’s close to noon though.”

“How can you tell?”

The half blonde pointed at the window. “The sun moved a great amount from when I went to sleep. Also it’s more towards the center of the sky.”

“I didn’t think about that. That was really smart of you.”

“I also can’t lie so I should let you know there’s also a clock behind you.”

Kai slowed turned his head to face the opposite wall to find one hanging. It twelve minutes until noon. “You cheated. Still, the sun was pretty clever.”

“Why, thank you.” Miyavi said full of himself. The brunette rolled his eyes, but started laughing.

“Yutaka?”

They became silent as they looked up to the woman who called the teens name. Rage filled their bodies when his father walked in with his mother. “Mom. What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to take you home.” His father stated. The half blonde clenched the blanket.

“Mister Uke,” Miyavi was clenching his teeth through the forced smile. “I was hoping Kai could help me on our project since we both missed school today.”

“Excuse me, who are you?”

“Ishihara Takamasa. Uke-kun’s friend. We’re working on a project together.”

“We really need to work on it.” Kai mumbled, unconsciously leaning against Miyavi.

“I don’t think it could hurt for you two do that.” His mother smiled at the young teens, but earned a glare from her husband in the room.

“It may be best for you to stay away from the house.” His father said sharply. “It’s still a mess and you may not be up to face it yet. Ishihara-kun, take care of him.”

Miyavi could sense the venom in the man’s voice. “I will.”He glared at the man, sending him a silent message, but the father didn’t seemed fazed by it.

His mother walked by and sat some clothes on the bed. “The doctor is waiting for us. So go ahead and change so we can leave.”

            They all stepped out to give him some privacy, but the air was tense around them. It was taking all of the blonde’s self control not to attack the man whom harmed his best friend. He was shaking with anger as he stood next to the man. Kai’s mother must have sensed the hostility since she moved between them and smiled apologetically at the teen. He glared at her for a second, but his face softened a moment later. She was shaking and she looked like she was trying to hold back tears. Her eyes were full of fear, her body was tensed up as she held her husband’s arm. He couldn’t look anymore. It was heartbreaking. Kai finally stepped out and they headed to the counter with the doctor and got him discharged. He was prescribed a lose dose of pain killers for his ribs, then a paper of symptoms to look for from the concussion. They thanked the doctor before they headed out. Kai told them that he would take the bus with his friend so they wouldn’t have to worry about driving him anywhere. His mother hugged him, slipping some cash into his back pocket. They waved goodbye and headed down to the bus stop.

“Let’s go eat something. I’m starving.” Miyavi said.

Kai shook his head as he pulled out the money and counted it.

            They headed downtown to a small ramen shop that Kai never even knew about. They stepped inside and found a booth in front of the window. They stayed quiet as they looked over the menu, but a waitress finally came by to take their order. Once she left, they sat in silence again. Kai was spinning the ice around in his drink while his friend was staring out the window.

“So…” The brunette said, breaking the silence. “How are the plants looking?”

It took Miyavi a minute to understand what the question. “Oh, yeah, they’re looking good. The one on the outside is looking a darker shade of green.”

“I figured it would be. Have you been keeping up with the charts?”

The half blonde yep. “Yep! I’m quite proud of myself.”

Kai shook his head with a smile, but they fell into another round of silence. Miyavi was looking out the window again, so the brunette took this chance to really study him. He was tall, obviously, he was on the skinny side as well. He had muscles, but not as much Aoi or Reita, but more than himself. His skin was pale and a little unhealthy looking, his hair didn’t have much luster to it, not like Kai himself had. Miyavi was on the border between healthy and sick. The brunette knew why too. “Why did you start doing drugs?”

The other teen popped out of his trance to look at his friend. “What?”

“Why did you start doing drugs?”

Miyavi bit his lip, but sat his arms on the table. “To be honest. I really don’t know. I guess it was just a mixture of things. Mom and dad didn’t want to have kids anymore. I overheard them saying we were a nuisance and they couldn’t ever have time to themselves. Maybe I should have done something more or try harder. I always made good grades, I was a straight A student once upon a time. I did my chores, kept my room clean, did my homework before I went out and played. I guess that wasn’t enough. I came home one day to find them both with packed suitcases and the car filled up with their things. They told us they were going on a trip and my brother would be in charge since he became of age a month before they left. They never came back. They send money every month for us to pay the bills and for food, but they never send a letter or anything. Two years ago, I found out my brother was drug addict, had been one for a while. He was all I had to look up to, so I thought drugs were cool and were ok to do. I found a dealer and gave him what money I had. The first thing I took was cocaine. I felt so fucking good too. It was just, the best fucking feeling in the world. I could never forget it. It was almost erotic. After that, I started doing odd jobs so I could experience that again. I found another drug dealer, Tora. Through some twisted events, we became friends, I guess you could say. Anyways, he made my addiction stronger. Gave me pot, more coke, heroin, anything I could afford. Some shit, I became too scared to use like meth. I got sick, I try to avoid it, no I do avoid it. The smartest thing I’ve probably done was not get addicted to that stuff. Anyways, I guess I did drugs because my brother did it and I felt like I had nothing left in the world. Then I found out after I got addicted that I really had lost everything because of the drugs. I lost all my friends, people didn’t trust me anymore, and avoided me at all costs. I didn’t have a friends until you came along and I’m already messing this up.”

“Miyavi, you’re not messing up our friendship, I promise. This Tora, you said you two became friends, are you still friends?”

The half blonde waited a moment. The waitress had came back and sat their food down. After she left, he looked down. “I don’t trust him. The way he acts, how he does things, and the crappy luck I have when I’m around him, I just can’t trust him. You, I can trust you with my life because you seem to care about it.”

“Of course I would and I’m not the only one. Reita, Aoi, and your brother care for your life too.”

Miyavi snorted. “My brother caring is a joke. He steals from me, he’s thrown me under the bus plenty of times, and tends to make my life hell. He told me that drugs were good, that they make you feel great and he told me I couldn’t live my life without them. Well, now I really can’t live my life without them.”

“Then why haven’t you tried to quit?”

“I have. I couldn’t do it.” The half blonde looked up at him. “It hurt too much.”

Kai shook his head. “I’ll help you.”

“No, not now. I can’t go through that now.”

“Ok, ok I get it. When you are ready, come to me. I’ll help get through it and we will get you clean.”

Miyavi looked at him with teary eyes and smiled as he shook his head. “Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

The brunette agreed and they started chowing down. This time they ate in peaceful silence, the half blonde wasn’t looking out the window, but was glancing between his food and Kai. The younger noticed this and smiled, but made no comment. They were getting close to finish when the brunette decided to call Miyavi out on it though.

“What?”

The other looked at him. “Huh?

“You keep looking at me.”

“Oh. Well, I was just thinking.” He mumbled. “It’s been on my mind, but I don’t want to upset you or anything.”

“What is it?” The brunette smiled.

“Why does your father hurt you and your mother?”

Kai’s face dropped to a sad one. “He’s just that way.”

“Why did she marry him then?”

The brunette sighed. “He wasn’t always this bad. He actually loved my mother very much. Right after they married, they found out my mother was pregnant. Father didn’t want a child yet, he wanted her to get an abortion, but she didn’t. Up until middle school, things were fine. He started drinking and we found out that he was a very angry drunk. That’s when he started beating my mother. It took a month for me to realize what was going on, but when I did, I defended her as best as I could. He ended up hurting me as well. This hatred and anger he has came out of nowhere. It got to the point where he wasn’t even drunk and he was beating us. The alcohol was what he used as an excuse, but I could tell when he was sober. My mom doesn’t want to believe that the man she married is a monster. She’s also scared of him, for what he might do if she tried to leave him. She doesn’t want us to get hurt, but she’s terrified and she doesn’t know what to do. All we can do is defend ourselves and take the beatings as they come.”

“That’s wrong. He shouldn’t be doing that. You need to go to the police.”

“No!” Kai shouted, catching the attention of other people in the shop. He lowered his voice. “No, he would make up some crazy story and get them on his side. He’s done it before. He’ll do it again. Don’t tell anyone ok.”

“Kai—”

“Please.” Kai started tearing up. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone. Not the cops, not your brother, nobody. Please.”

Miyavi took in a deep breath. “On two conditions. You have to stay with me a few nights every week and if he ever touches you again, you will come to me so I can help you. Ok?”

The brunette sniffled,  but shook his head. “Ok. Ok, I agree.”

The half blonde grabbed Kai’s hand and squeezed it. “I promise not to tell a soul.” His friend gave a small smile, and grabbed the hand in return.


	13. Chapter 13

            Kouyou looked at himself in the mirror as he carefully put eye liner on. He rubbed them, made them even, then patted light purple eye shadow on. Next, he quickly covered his eyelashes in mascara and added a little blush to his cheeks before standing straight. He looked over his appearance in the mirror. His face looked nice, his hair was brushed, the black shirt he was given hid his nonexistent boobs, and the short black skirt ended mid-thigh, but the ruffles made it look longer. His hickies and bruises were all covered up evenly. He looked nice. He stepped out of his bathroom and walked to the living room where he found his sisters talking to their guest. The pink haired teen was listening to Mayu tell about her new doll and how it saved the day in her imagination. Aoi looked up and was once again shocked at how amazing his classmate looked.

“Will this work?” The brunette asked, showing his clothes off.

The other swallowed and shook his head. “Yeah.”

“Yeah, how did you get Kouyou’s clothes?” Satomi asked.

“A friend is letting us borrow them.”

“Shall we get going?” Kouyou asked. “I doubt they would want us to be late.”

Aoi shook his head. They slipped their shoes on and headed down to the waiting car. Kaoru opened the door for them, then got up front and started driving. “Dinner is being served early so that you two may hang out if you wish afterwards.”

The two looked at each other and shook their heads. Kouyou looked at him. “That’s fine. I don’t mind them staying up late on a Friday night.”

“Very well.”

“Kaoru-san, you don’t always have to be waiting outside. You can come in with Shiroyama if you want.”

“Why thank you Takashima-sama.”The driver said happily.

Aoi rolled his eyes. “Hey, make sure you call me Yuu around my parents.”

The brunette shook his head and looked down at his sisters. “Remember, I’m a girl ok?”

The two little ones shook their heads.

            They arrived a short time later and were being led inside the mansion to the dining room where they all first meet. His sisters were already being taken to another room to enjoy their meals and to play. They stood there waiting for Aoi’s parents to arrive. Kaoru rolled his eyes and grabbed their wrists to force them to hold hands. “Did you forget?”

Their faces turned red as they moved closer together, pleasing the driver whom started walking away. Aoi had a strange sensation run up his arm as the other’s warm hand held his own tightly. He looked over to find Uruha blushing a bit, but smiling and acting like he was a girl in love. He sighed as he turned away. Nothing was ever real.

“Takashima-chan!” Aoi’s mother smiled as she walked out with her husband. “I’m so glad you could join us again.”

“Thank you for inviting me.” And so the acting begins. They walked to the table and sat in the same spots as the last time. Aoi’s father looked at their guest for a moment.

“Where did you get _that_ skimpy outfit?”

“Father!” Aoi growled.

“Now honey, it’s the style for girls these days.” His wife smiled.

“She looks like a skank.”

“Father! She does not. Would you stop?”

“I’m sorry.” Uruha mumbled. “We can’t afford clothes right now, so I have to wear my old ones, though I’m too tall for them. It’s the same with my school clothes as well, if you didn’t notice the last time.”

“Poor thing.” His mother pouted, but smiled. “Why don’t you come by again tomorrow and I’ll taking you clothes shopping. You can bring your sisters and we can find them some new outfits.”

“You really don’ have to.”

“Nonsense.” His father spoke up. “Forgive me for jumping to conclusions. We will buy some clothes. We can’t sit by while three young girls have to wear torn up or old clothing. Kaoru will pick you up at ten o’ clock sharp in the morning.”

The brunette’s eyes teared and he whimpered. “Thank you.”

Aoi looked at him and felt a pain in his heart. Even if this was fake, it felt so real especially with what he witnessed when he was at his classmate’s home. He gripped Uruha’s hand, surprising him, but the brunette smiled as he wiped his tears away. They remained quiet until the food was placed in front of them. Uruha felt his mouth fill up with drool at the amount on his plate. So much rice, meat, noodles, and vegetables. In his most polite way, he started eating as fast as possible. It was his only second trip here and he was already craving for their food. He really wanted to lose control and pig out. It was so good, so much better than he could make. He doubt he would ever get meals like this again, so he wanted to make sure he ate every last bite.

“Takashima-chan,” Aoi’s father spoke up. “What are your future plans?”

Uruha hummed. “Well, I’m not really sure. I’m so busy with school and home, I haven’t really thought about it.”

“So you have no plans. No college?”

“Well, I would like to go, but I just don’t think I’ll have time. I’ll have to get a job, take care of my sisters and help with the rent.”

“So you’re making excuses.”

“No!”

Aoi threw his fork on his plate. “Father, please stop it.”

“I want to know about any girl you may possibly marry. I don’t want you being with a lazy, non-educated woman.”

“Just because I said I wouldn’t have time for college, doesn’t mean I’m lazy or uneducated.” The brunette spoke up. “Most people who don’t go, probably can’t and not all of them are lazy people. They’re hard working. They want to be able to provide for their families and for themselves. If I had a choice of going to college or taking care of my sisters, I would chose to take care of them so that they can have a future better than what they have now. What’s with this marriage thing? We just started dating and you have brought this up both times. I’m sorry, but we have no plans for that. We barely know each other.”

The man glared at her. “That is what your mother is for. She is supposed to take care of them, not you. And any woman he meets is a potential life partner. ”

“Mother has two jobs, she needs help raising them cause dad died.”

“That shouldn’t prevent you from learning. If you’re going to marry my son, then you need to get an education.”

“Dad please stop it.” Aoi begged, rubbing his face.  

“I’m thinking about your future.”

“I’ve had enough.” The magenta boy stood up. He grabbed Uruha’s wrist and pulled the brunette with him. “We’ll be in my room.”

            Kouyou was amazed by the large room when he entered it. Actually, he felt a bit jealous. A third of his apartment could fit in here. A large, wooden king size bed sat in the middle with a black and white blanket on it. There were posters of bands, games, guitars, and models hanging on all four of his walls. He had an entire bookshelf filled with movies and games beside his tv, which hung on the wall across from the bed. On the stand below was two game systems, a dvd player and a cable box.

“You can come in you know.” Aoi caught his attention as he fell on the bed. Uruha stepped in and sat on the floor, against the bed. “Sorry.”

“Hmm, about what?”

“My father. It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t get a girl to do this. He keeps pushing me and pushing me about getting married.”

“Why?”

Aoi took a deep breath. “You don’t have to talk like that in here. They never come up. They always send Kaoru if they want me. For your question…it’s because of my grandfather. He was dying of cancer and before he died, he wanted my father to get married and have a child. Dad didn’t want that. He said he was fine the way he was and that he was happy. He went through school, then started working for my grandpa. Once again, he wanted my father to get married and have a child. He didn’t want to then, he wanted be free and young. Grandfather lost his fight with cancer a year later. Father then took over the company. He became very stressed very fast. My father is smart, he knew what he was getting into, he just didn’t know the pressures of it. He would come home to an empty house, an empty bed. He has lived with grandfather the whole time because he was going to inherit this place anyways, but with him gone, dad felt lonely. He started feeling empty, depressed, and he became insomniac . He stopped sleeping in his own bed, started going different places in the house. One day, he decided to get out and have some fun. He met mom at a jewelry store. I think it was three years that they were together before they married. I was born soon after. Since junior high, he’s been telling me how lonely it is to be single, how I should marry after college. He said that I need to start looking for girls that would be right for me. He wants to make sure the company is in good hands for when he dies. He also doesn’t want me to end up alone. The pressures he puts on me though, it just makes me want to run away. I’ve told him over and over that I’m not interested in marriage yet. I’m young and I want to be able to have fun before I make a life changing decision. Every night is the same. You have to get married. You need to get married. Find a girl or we’ll find one for you.” Aoi shot up. “Did you know they tried to set me up with an annoying ass, spoiled bitch? I swore if it came down to them choosing a girl, I’d runaway.”

“So that’s why you were so desperate. Why don’t you tell them to back off and give you space?” Kouyou asked.

“I have. They would just lecture me.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah. Everything about this family does. I mean, we’re always formal even when we have relatives come over. When they have a party, I’m forced to dress up and act like some kind of proper man. It’s ridiculous. And even then, people ask me what my plans are, if I found a girl, or what my wedding will be like. I just want it to stop. I want them to stop trying to hook me up with girls or lecturing me about marriage. I just want it to all stop for once.”

“Why don’t you find a girl then? You’re pretty popular, it shouldn’t be too hard for you.”Kouyou sighed.

“I’ve dated so many from school and it just proves to me that girls and women are cruel tricksters. They say ‘I love you’, but then they want you to buy them things. They want you to do different things like smoke and drink with them. They want to flirt with guys, but they yell at you if you flirt with girls. They want you to take them everywhere, do everything they want without complaint. They want to control you. They want you for  your money, connections, things, lifestyle. All you are is a tool for their use. I can’t trust them.”

“Not all of them are bad you sexist.”

Aoi rolled his eyes. “I’m not sexist, I’ve just…been betrayed too many times. The only women I can trust are my mother and sister.”

“You have a sister?”

“Yeah, but she’s never around. She’s in college and has her own place so she’s rarely here. Which is fine, she’s doing what she wants. Sometimes though, I wish she would be the one who takes over dad’s business, not me.”

“You know, you don’t have to take it over. You could refuse.”

“It’s a family business. He wouldn’t trust anybody else with it.”

Kouyou stretched his arms. “Sounds like your making excuses for everything.”

Anger filled the magenta boy’s body. “I’m not, I’m being realistic. Look at you. You refuse to get a ‘real’ job which could pay you descent money, but it’s just not enough. That sounds like an excuse to me to keep selling your body. It’s like you enjoy doing it, but you don’t want anyone to know, just like you don’t want anyone to know about your troubles. If you would just tell people the truth, they’ll help you.”

The brunette’s face was red. “You don’t get it. The only job I would get would be part time. What I make at that in two weeks would be the same as selling my body for one night. Do you realize how much it is to take care of a fourteen year old and a nine year old, plus my own mother, to keep a roof on our heads, to be able to pay the…” His face paled and he looked away. “…other payments. It’s expensive. You feeding us the first good meal we’ve had in a long time. Mayu doesn’t have many toys and she’s sad cause all of her friends do. Satomi never complains, but I know she’s sad that she doesn’t have what other kids her age get. Part time job would only pay living expenses at best. What I’m doing is helping us survive until the next best thing comes up. So don’t you dare say that not having a part time job is an excuse for me to have pleasure. Not one of those people I’ve slept has ever brought me pleasure only pain and disgust in myself.”

Aoi reached his hand over and wiped the tears falling from the teen’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, but that shouldn’t stop you from asking from help.”

“I can’t.” He pulled his head away.

“Why not?”

“I-I… I just can’t ok. My mother… she…please, I just can’t ask.”

The magenta boy slid himself off the bed and sat beside Kouyou. He listened as the brunette sniffled and glanced to find him wiping tears away. They sat there for a few minutes in silence before Aoi decided to speak up. “That story, the one you told about your parents the other day, that wasn’t true, was it?”

“No, it was a lie.”

“What’s the truth then? Why are things like this?”

Kouyou glared at him. “Why should I tell you? You’re not my friend, you’re just…another client.”

“I wouldn’t mind being your friend.” Aoi smiled at him. “I’ll listen to whatever you have to say. I won’t judge you or try to hurt you. I want to know you better. I want to help you.”

“You know how you said you don’t trust women, well, I’m the same except, I don’t trust _anybody_ other than my two sisters. You say you won’t judge me, but you already have. You say you won’t hurt me, but you already have. You speak in lies and you don’t even realize it.”

“How have I judged you or hurt you? Tell me, how?”

Kouyou glared at him. “Every time you see me with a student or teacher I see disgust in your face. Whenever I was ganged up on or being bullied, you looked at me while they tortured me. You never tried to stop me from having sex. You watched a whore seduce somebody and you walked away with ignorance of why I hurt myself like that. You watched as I was beaten and you turned to walk away. Those looks you gave me were the same as everyone else’s. You walking away, hurt because like everyone else, you showed me that nobody cared about me. How can I trust you to listen to me?”

The magenta boy looked down. “I’m sorry, I …”he froze as guilt fill his body. “I…I have no excuse, there is no excuse. I knew it was wrong and I should have helped you. I never meant to judge you. I just never understood why you did those things.”

“It was for my sisters.” He mumbled. “I would do anything for them. I would die for them because they’re the only ones who have ever cared for me. That’s why I did those things and still do them.”

“I’m sorry.” Aoi mumbled. “I hope you can give me a second chance then.”

Kouyou closed his eyes. “We’ll see.”

            They had remained quiet as they sat there for about an hour when Kaoru had walked in. He smiled at them before he walked in closer. “Your sisters are falling asleep. Would you like to stay the night here?”

“No, we need to be heading home. Thank you.” Kouyou muttered as he stood up. Aoi followed him and they walked out together downstairs. They stayed in the main hallway as Kaoru went to fetch the two girls. The brunette sighed. “Will you come with us tomorrow? I don’t think I’ll feel real comfortable if I’m alone with your mom.”

“Yeah, I’ll go.

Kouyou dropped his head on the magenta boy’s shoulder and pushed up against him. Aoi flinched at the motion, but wrapped his arms around the younger to hold him close. He started petting the brunette’s hair, making Kouyou blush. They heard footsteps coming, so they stepped away to find Satomi walking beside Kaoru who was holding a sleeping Mayu. As they walked closer, the teen’s parents came out as well.

Aoi rubbed his ‘lover’s’ arm, then stepped closer. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He planted a soft kiss on Uruha’s lips. The brunette smiled then looked over at the parents. With his voice changing once again, he said his goodbyes, then headed down to the car with Kaoru and his sisters. Satomi got in first, then Kouyou, who took his youngest sister into his arms as the driver shut the door. The brunette smiled as she curled into his arms and moved closer to him. He looked up and his other sister and smiled as the car started moving.

            Aoi was awoken by a deep growling voice followed by a vicious shake attack. “Wake up!”

The magenta boy popped up, almost head butting the man waking him up. He glared at his butler and groaned. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

The brunette rolled his eyes, throwing clothes onto the teen’s face. “Well, this is the third time I’ve walked in here to get you up and you refused. Your mother said to be down in five minutes or she’s leaving without you.”

He sighed as he got off the bed and started to change. Kaoru watched as he threw the shirt to the side and grabbed the clean one. He looked sadly at the scar on the teen’s side and felt pain in his heart as he closed his eyes. Blood filled his memory along with screams and sirens.

“You okay?”

He opened his eyes to find the magenta boy with a confused and worried expression. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You looked like you were about to cry.”

“It’s nothing. Now hurry or she will leave you.”

Aoi wanted to say something, but shook his head and slipped his pants on. He brushed his hair then headed out to the bathroom to brush his teeth as Kaoru walked down to inform his mother that he would there in a moment. The magenta boy looked at himself in the mirror before walking out to meet with his mother.

            They rode in silence on the way there, which was perfectly fine with him. He looked out the window. He could never look at his mother when they were alone like this. He didn’t know why, but she would always give him a sad smile. Like looking at him hurt her, but she loved him with all her heart. His father was the same when they were alone and he even looked sincere instead of his usual serious expression. It always made him feel strange. He closed his eyes and sighed as they turned onto Kouyou’s street. It wouldn’t be so bad once they get in. At least he had someone to look at other than his mother. He didn’t mean for it to sound bad or anything, he just didn’t feel comfortable. They turned into the lot and the car parked in front of the complex. His mother looked at her watch and raised a brow.

“We’re five minutes late Kaoru.”

“Sorry madam.” The driver apologized.

“Where is she? Your father did say ten o’clock sharp right?”Aoi rolled his eyes at his mother’s extreme impatience.

“I’ll go get her mom. She had homework so she probably stayed up late to get it done.” He shook his head and stepped out. He walked up to the apartment and knocked on the door. He waited for a minute before knocking again, but harder. “Takashima! You in there?” He knocked again. He heard a door open behind him and embarrassment filled his body as he thought he was knocking on the wrong door. He turned, but instead of finding the brunette, he found a short man wearing a white t-shirt, his arms covered in tattoos, and a scowl on his face.

“What business do have with that boy?” He asked, threateningly.

Aoi swallowed haired. “Um…I’m a friend. Him and his sisters were coming with me and my mom shopping.”

The man’s glare deepened and he was about to snap when a girl’s voice spoke up. “Shiroyama-san!”Satomi squeezed past the man and smiled. “I forgot you were coming.”

“Was he telling the truth?”

“Yep. Kyo, this is Shiroyama Yuu, he’s helping us out. Shiroyama-san, meet our neighbor Kyo. Don’t be scared, he’s really nice when you get to know him.”

“Nice to meet you.” the pink haired boy mumbled. “Um, are you three ready? Mother’s waiting.”

The girl pulled out a key with a sad face. “You may have to wake him up.” She walked over and unlocked the door. They walked into the apartment to find Kouyou’s mother sleeping on the couch with a bag of white powder on the table. He’s really happy that his mother didn’t come up with him. They walked to the first door on the right. She bit her lip as she reached for the knob and swallowed when she slowly opened the door. Aoi’s eyes grew  wide at the sight. Kouyou was laying naked on the bed, his wrists tied together above his head, and his mouth gagged. Satomi whimpered and covered her mouth.

“Go get your sister and then go down to the car. Tell my mother that I need to talked Uruha for a bit ok? Make sure she doesn’t come up here too.” The middle schooler shook her head as she headed out the door. Aoi walked in and sat on the edge where he rubbed the other teen’s face. Kouyou’s eyes shot open and he yelped, trying to get freed. The magenta boy grabbed his shoulders. “It’s ok. It’s me, I’m not going to hurt you.”

The brunette allowed tears to fall from his face he curled into a ball with embarrassment. Aoi rubbed his head before untying the gag, then his wrists. Kouyou tried to cover up his body with his arms, but the other pulled him up into a hug, allowing him to cry all he could. “ _don’t look at me! Please! Don’t…don’t look!”_

Aoi pulled his phone out and called his mother. “Hey, Uruha isn’t feeling all that great. She didn’t want her sisters to know, but she really shouldn’t go out. Could you still take them though?”

“Of course. Does she have a fever? Does she need a doctor?”

“Something like that and no she doesn’t need one. I’ll stay here and look after her.”

“Ok then. I’ll call you when were on our way back.”

“Alright. Love you.”

“Love you too sweetie.” His mother hung up, so he did the same. He put the phone in his pocket then slid an arm under the brunette’s leg.

“I’m going to give you a bath ok?”

Kouyou sniffled, but shook his head yes. Aoi carefully lifted the teen up and turned, but found the doorway blocked by the brunette’s mother. She held a blank expression and that only made the magenta boy fill with anger. She crossed her arms. “If he’s dating you, then you might want to leave him. He whores himself out to everybody and who knows what diseases he has. The only use for him is a good f—”

“Shut up.” Aoi growled. “One more word from you and I _will_ lower myself to hitting a woman. How can you even call him your son…no, how can he even call you his mother? You’re a monster.”

“Stop.” Kouyou muttered. “Please stop.”

The magenta looked sadly at the other before glaring up at the woman. She smirked before turning and walking back into the living room. Aoi walked out and watched as she grabbed her purse then left the apartment. He walked over to the door and locked it before walking down to the bathroom. He sat Kouyou on the toilet, making him hiss in pain. He moved the brunette’s hair out of his face. “What happened?”

The other turned his head, refusing to talk. Aoi shook his head as he moved to plug the tub and start the hot water. He watched as the clear liquid poured in and listened as it filled the tub. He looked over at the brunette. His wrists were burned from the rope, he had hickies and bruises all over his torso. His legs weren’t any better, he had multiple hand prints on his thighs and lower legs. His eyes started moving back to the water when a bit off red under the teen caught his attention. He closed his eyes and dropped his head as anger filled his body. He hated seeing someone like this, especially someone he knew. He finally sat up and moved Kouyou into the water before turning the faucet off and grabbing some soap. He looked under the sink for a rag then sat on the edge of the tub. He wet it then soaped it and started washing Kouyou’s chest. The brunette watches as he is gently washed off by Aoi.

“I’m a prostitute.” He whispered, catching the magenta boy’s attention. “My mother wanted to show me what being one is really like. To show me I’m nothing but filth with nobody . No family, no friends, no one who loves me.”

Aoi wiped the tears falling from his face and raised it up. “You’re not filth. Satomi and Mayu both love and would never abandon you. If you let me, I’ll be your friend and Reita and Kai too. Someone will love you, it may not be now or during high school, but someone will love you. So don’t ever say that ok.”

The brunette cried some more, but his tears were wiped away and a smile was given to him. The magenta teen continued washing him until his privates needed to be cleaned, so he handed the rag over. He heard Kouyou hiss for a moment, but waited until the other was done before rinsing him off and unplugging the drain. Aoi picked him up with a towel and carried his to the bedroom where he started towards the bed, but Kouyou stopped him.

“That’s for my sisters. I sleep on a pallet.”

“I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“Please.” Kouyou begged. The other shook his head and sat him against the wall. The magenta boy pulled the blankets out and fixed up the pallet before going into the closet and grabbing the other some clothes. The brunette dressed into the shorts and the baggy shirt, then slipped into the pallet. Aoi sighed before lifting Kouyou’s head and the pillow to slip his legs under the brunette’s head. “What are you doing?”

The magenta boy smiled before he started rubbing the other’s head. “My friend sometimes gets me to massage his head when he has a hard time sleeping or stressed out. It relaxes him so I figured it could help you too.”

Kouyou closed his eyes. “It’s nice.”

            The girls were dropped off later that day, but Aoi stayed the night to help out since Kouyou wasn’t able to walk around. He slept on another pallet in the room that night and the next night too, then went with him to school. They really didn’t talk much that day and lunch soon came up. Aoi was first to grab his food and was walking to his table when he saw Kouyou sitting in his usual spot. The magenta boy walked over to him and smiled.

“Come on.”

“What?”

Aoi grabbed his arm and gently pulled him up, then led him to the table where Kai and Reita were sitting down. Aoi sat beside Kai and the brunette sat beside the magenta boy.

“Hey!” Kai smiled at him.

“Finally decided to join us huh?” The blonde laughed. Kouyou gave an awkward smile before looking at the table. Ruki was paying for his food when he saw the extra person at the table and something popped into his head. After he paid, he walked back and asked someone to hand him some chopsticks. He headed over to the group right before Miyavi sat down. Ruki grabbed the plate of fish on his tray along with the second set of chopsticks and sat it in front of the brunette. They all looked at him and Kouyou looked with a surprised expression.

“What? I’m on a diet.” He muttered, eating his rice.

Reita smiled as slid his tofu over to the brunette as well. “I don’t want it, you can have it.”

Aoi sat his juice in front of him, then Kai slide his rice over as well and Miyavi rolled the apple he had brought with him to Kouyou. The teen looked at the others at the table laughing and eating. He gave a soft smile with a quiet thank you before he started shoving the food into his mouth. Reita looked sadly at the brunette, then at Aoi who was also glancing over. He felt his pocket vibrate. He took out his phone and looked at the screen. The one across from him sent it.

‘Thank you for getting them to do that.’

The blonde smiled as he texted back. ‘All I told them was that he was sitting with us. They all said that they would share their food.’

When Aoi looked at his phone, he smiled. He put it away, then started to eat as he listened to the other talk. Miyavi spoke up. “Hey Kouyou-chan, you’ll keep sitting with us right?”

The brunette looked up at him with filled cheeks and blinked. Reita laughed. “Sure he will. How else will we get to know him?”

Kouyou looked at Ruki, who looked at him. “These idiots are actually fun to hang with.”

“Hey!” Reita and Miyavi shouted.

Aoi smiled at him. “See. You do have friends. All you had to do was let us be them.”

The brunette blinked, but swallowed his food and whispered. “Thank you.”


	14. Chapter 14

            A month has passed since Aoi found Kouyou like that and since then, the brunette has been eating at the table with the group. However, he rarely talks and it really doesn’t look like he’s paying much attention to the group other than the food they give him. Reita made Ruki stop giving him food though because the blonde was scared for the younger one’s health. Saying he’s skinnier here lately, but the chestnut doesn’t see it. Nothing else has really changed. Reita always stays close to Ruki to make sure Die doesn’t hurt him again and so far it’s been successful to the athlete’s knowledge. The shorter does keep his secrets. Reita does try his hardest to look out for him, but sometimes he’s gone for about five minutes and a lot can happen in five minutes. Though he was rather safe in class like now. They were working in groups of two on a reading assignment. Kai was with Ruki, Maya was with Kouyou, Miyavi was with a girl named Fumiko,  and Aoi was with Reita. The blonde quickly read his part, impressing his friend.

“You’re getting good.”

“All thanks to Ruki” Reita smiled. “He really pushes me and I figured I won’t get better if I don’t practice, right?”

The magenta boy smiled. “Right.” He read his paragraph, then the athlete and they continued until they were done and started on the questions.

“I was wondering…”

“What?” Aoi asked.

“Break is in what two weeks? I was wondering if we were going to your parent’s summer house again this year?”

The other hummed. “Sure. I hadn’t really thought about it, but it’s a good idea. It’ll be a great stress reliever.”

“Cool, but um…could Ruki come too?”

“I don’t see why not. Invite him and hell, I’ll invite everybody else. It should be a blast with all of us.”

“Awesome!” Reita laughed.

“Shiroyama-kun. Suzuki-kun. Do you have something to share with the rest of us?” Their teacher asked loud and clear.

They looked at her and shook their heads. “No.”

“Then I suggest you get back to work.”

The whole class started laughing as they shrunk in their seats and said ‘yes ma’m’ as they started writing down answers again. Ruki gave a small smile as he went back to his work as well, but he felt a pair of eyes on him and looked up at his partner.

“What?”

The brunette shook his head. “Nothing. Just thinking…Reita would never be able to read so much and understand it. I don’t know how the hell you did it, but you’re really helping him.”

Ruki shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t done much. Just keep telling him to read more.”

“No, you’re doing more.”

The shorter growled. “No I’m not.”

Kai smiled. “You are, you just don’t realize it.”

The chestnut thought for a moment. “I don’t…understand.”

“Think about it. You’re there all the time with him. He’s not as lonely as he used to be and he has someone to impress.”

“Impress?”

“Well, you know…someone to see him working hard or you know, how you would work hard to make your parents proud. He wants you to be proud of him.”

Ruki glanced back at the blonde then back at his reading partner. “How do you know?”

The brunette smiled. “I’ve known him longer so it’s easier for me to read him, plus Aoi told me. If you ever have a question about Reita, just ask us and we’ll help you.”

The chestnut shook his head then looked back at the athlete. Thinking about it, Ruki hardly knew the teen. Sure he spent almost every day with the blonde, but the only things the chestnut knows about him is that he likes to play sports, he hates being alone, his parents are away, and he has trouble reading. He didn’t know a damn thing about Reita, but then he also never talks about himself. The chestnut sighed, he wanted to know more.

            The next class came quickly, so the students were in the locker rooms changing for PE. Kouyou closed his locker to see the nasty words on it. He stared at them as everyone around him put their shoes on and started heading out. The brunette sat on the bench behind him, still staring at the words that hurt him so much every time he saw them. A familiar blonde saw him and walked over to sit beside him.

“Hey.”

Kouyou looked over to find his old friend. “Hey Hiroto.”

“We haven’t talked much…have we?”

“Not really.”

“How have you been?” The blonde mumbled.

“Good I guess. Why suddenly so interested?”

Hiroto looked down. “I had to pick up something for my mom last night. I saw you in a certain area and I was wondering what you were doing there. Then I saw you talking to some guy and you got in a car with him. I just want to know…what were you doing?”

The brunette looked around to see the last person leaving the locker room. He sighed as he rubbed his hands together. “You know about what I do here. Well…I wasn’t exactly getting enough money so I started working on the streets.”

“Kouyou! That’s dangerous!”

“You think I don’t know, now quiet down. I don’t want anybody to hear us.” He whispered.

“You can’t do that. What if you’re caught? What if you give it to the wrong person and they hurt you? You have to stop.”

“Like I haven’t already been hurt? I know the risks, I know the possibilities of being raped, murdered, and so on. But what other choice do I have? I have to. It’s the only way I can support my family anymore.”

Hiroto looked down. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for abandoning you last year and avoiding you these past couple of months. I just…there was a lot going on inside my head and I wasn’t thinking about you. I should have been there for you. I should have helped you more. I’m sorry, I hope you’ll give me another chance at being your friend.”

“There’s a lot of people asking me for second chances.” Kouyou muttered. “I guess, I could give you another one.”

“Thank you.” the blonde muttered. “Can I ask you something though?”

“Hmm, what?”

“Do they at least….wear condoms?”

The other teen lowered his head. “Sometimes. They pay more when they don’t have to.”

“Kouyou, you’re so stupid.” Hiroto said, but pulled him into a tight hug. “I’ll be here for you from now on. I promise. Please be careful.”

The brunette laid his head on the other’s shoulder and hugged him back. “I’ll try.”

            After their coach took attendance and had them do a few exercises, he announced that they were having a free day. They were quite happy with this and split up into their own little groups to hang out. Of course, Aoi and Reita started talking about playing a game. A few minutes, they decided to play some soccer. The blonde went to grab a ball while the other looked for other players to join them. In no time they were on the field picking teams. Reita versus Aoi. On the magenta boy’s team were Miyavi, Kouyou, a kid from another class named Takeru, and Hiroto. On the blonde’s were Kai,  a new kid with strawberry blonde hair named Reno, and Maya.

“We can play with one less player.”Reita said in their circle. “Kai, you mind being goalie?”

“Nah. I’m good with that.”

“Alright, we’ll switch positions throughout the game. Let’s play.” He shouted, breaking his team up. Aoi’s team broke away from their circle and got into positions with Hiroto on their goal.

            Ruki asked permission to go to the class room to grab his sketchbook, which he was able to. So he headed back up to the classroom. Walking down the hallway, he heard other students talking as they walked around him. He sighed as he went inside his class and walked to his desk where he pulled out his moleskin book form his bag. He grabbed an art pencil and headed towards the door when something caught his attention. He saw that Reita’s book bag had fallen over and a notebook had slipped out. He raised the bag up only to have the notebook and a regular book fall out. He grabbed the book to find it was the one he gave the blonde on the first day they studied together. It had slips of paper throughout it with little notes on them. He smiled as he placed the book back inside, then he grabbed the notebook. He looked around to make sure nobody was coming in before he opened it up. His eyes went wide. There were words listed with definitions and how to pronounce them. He flipped though a few pages to find them full. The athlete was actually doing what he was told to do. As he looked through them, he found book names and magazines. The boy was reading a lot without Ruki knowing it. He smiled as he closed it and placed it back in its spot. He closed the bag, then grabbed his things and headed back down.

He sat in some grass beside the soccer players. He took a deep breath before he started drawing lines on the paper. He went with the flow of his fingers, as the lines became an outline of a face then he started adding features to it. First the eyes, which he shaded, then rubbed with his fingers to try and add depth to them. He rubbed them down to add a bit of a shadow beneath left eye. He moved down and did the outline of a nose, but didn’t do much with it before he went down to the lips. Short plumped bottom lip, then the thinner top lip. Rubbing his fingers on them, he added a shadow and some color to them. He then proceed to add texture and features of the face, but when it came to the nose…he couldn’t get it right. So he erased it, then skipped it and started to draw some hair. As he was starting, a soccer ball hit his knee. He looked up to see Reita running over with a smile on his face.

“Sorry. You ok?”

“Fine.” He mumbled.

The blonde picked the ball up and tossed it in his hands before he sat beside the younger. “Can I look?” The chestnut shrugged his shoulders and turned the book. Reita whistled and smiled. “That’s really good! It kind of looks like me.”

“Huh?” Ruki looked down at the drawing and then back at his classmate to find that it really looked like him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The blonde just shrugged with a smile and they stared at each other. Ruki’s heart started pounding  as they sat quietly, that is until Aoi’s voice interrupted them. “You gonna come back with that?”

“Got to get back.” He stood up. “I’d like to see more of your drawings, if that’s all right with you.”

“Sure.” Ruki mumbled and watched as the other ran back onto the field. He looked down at the picture and kept seeing Reita in it. ‘Was I really drawing him?’ He shook his head, but looked back up at the field. He watched as the athlete kicked the ball around, then passed it and ran to block his friends from getting the ball. The blonde was smiling and laughing with everyone as they ran around. For once, he really felt lonely. Looking around the field, everyone had at least one person with them, but him. He was sitting there all alone, no friends, no acquaintance , nobody. He looked down at his drawing, the only companion he had.

            Reita was chasing Aoi, who had the ball, down the field when his eyes caught a glance of Ruki again. He stopped when he noticed that the chestnut seemed sad. Ruki was taking glances at the game the whole time, but now he was just sitting there, staring at his sketchbook.

“Reita!” Maya growled. “You let him score.”

The blonde looked over to see Aoi looking at him with a questioning expression. “Time out. I’ll be right back.” He shouted before running back over to Ruki. The chestnut looked up at him.

“Lose the ball again?”He joked.

“Want to play with us?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t play.”

Reita grabbed the book and closed it before setting it to the side with the pencil. Before the chestnut could complain, he was pulled to his feet and being dragged to the field. “At least try. Please?”

“I get the feeling you’re not giving me a choice.” Ruki mumbled.

“I got a new member for our team!”

The younger blushed as he growled. There was no complaints because when Reita says it, it will happen. In this case, Ruki had to play and no one was going to object because they know they’ll lose. The chestnut did as was told and ran along the others in case the ball needed to be passed over. It was only five minutes and he was already out of breath and slowing down. Reno got surrounded so he quickly passed the ball over to the chestnut. Ruki started running with it, but he didn’t get too far before he tripped over it and fell. Maya bursted out along with Reno, but Reita glared at them.

“Shut it.” He growled. He ran over to the younger as he was sitting up. He moved his hand down, offering to help. “You ok?”

“I don’t want to play.” He mumbled, getting to his feet.

The athlete scratched the back of his head when an idea popped in his head. He turned to everyone. “Hey, you guys go on and play something else, I’m going to hang with Ruki for a bit.”

Aoi smiled and waved as he headed over to get some water. With him leaving, the others just went with it and left. The chestnut looked at him. “What?”

“Let me teach you how to play. Please?”

Ruki looked over at his sketchbook and sighed. “Fine.”

“Awesome.” He grabbed the ball and the shorter one’s hand to take them to the center of the field. He dropped the ball on the grass. “First, you were kicking the ball wrong. Instead of kicking with the tip of you foot, you need to kick with inside of your foot. It’ll go farther and you’re less likely to trip. Try it.”

The younger pouted, but stood in front of the ball and kicked it. It went flying in the air making smile. “I did it!”

“Kind of.”Reita laughed. “You have to turn your foot more, come on, I’ll show you.” They ran over to where the ball was. The blonde moved him in front of it, then got beside him. “Watch.”

Ruki kept his eyes on the blonde’s foot and watched as it swung back and kicked the ball with inside part. The ball didn’t fly like his did, no, it glided across the grass and rolled further. The chestnut growled as he ran to the ball and turned to find Reita still standing in the same spot. He took a deep breath and pictured the other’s leg instead of his own. He turned his ankle just before his foot made contact and the ball rolled across all the way to the blonde, only for him to kick it back. Ruki ran to the right a bit kick it, but as he did, his foot slipped and he fell. He grunted as he raised up and rubbed his back. He looked up to see the blonde running to him to make sure he was okay. The chestnut stood up and smiled before he started running with the ball. Reita smiled as he chased after him, but Ruki passed the ball over and so the blonde decided to play the silly game. They passed the ball, the chestnut sometimes missing, but starting to get the hang of it. Then the blonde started getting cocky. He would take the ball and run backwards or around Ruki before passing it. The chestnut just rolled his eyes, but continued on, that is until Reita ran backwards in front of him. Ruki smiled sweetly. Reita’s eyes got wide as his heart thumped, and before he could react the ball went under his foot making him lose his balance. He yelped as he started falling backwards, but the chestnut reached out to try and pull him forward. However, gravity wasn’t on their side and the blonde’s weight pulled Ruki down with him. Ruki raised up slightly, looking down into the athlete’s eyes. Their cheeks turned red as their faces were centimeters from each other.

“S-sorry.” Ruki mumbled. He moved to get off, but earned a pain filled yelp from the other. He froze. “What?”

“Get off!” Reita yelled. The chestnut quickly did so only to watch the blonde curl into a ball and grip his …balls. He groaned rolling onto his back.

“S-sorry.” The younger snickered.

“I can hear the compassion…in your voice.” He blinked a few tears away. “Are you laughing?”

“No.” Ruki covered his mouth as he giggled.

“Liar! Ugh, it hurts!”

“I’m sorry.” The teen burst into a fit of laughter. They sat there for a moment before the whistle blew for everyone to come in. Ruki stood up and extended his arm. “Come on.”

The blonde grabbed it and they worked together to get him up. He got into a horse-stance and bend over, gripping his knees, making the younger laugh more. Aoi noticed them still there and ran over to see what was wrong. As he approached, he wondered why the chestnut was laughing. “Is everything ok?”

“Fuck no.” Reita gasped, then groaned.

“What happened?”

“He crushed my balls.”

Ruki bursted out laughing. “I said sorry!”

 The magenta boy rolled his eyes and patted his friends back. “You’ll be ok. Can you walk? Because I really don’t think you want everyone seeing you get carried.”

The blonde straightened up and started limping away. Ruki laughed as they started walking behind him, but the chestnut stopped. Remembering his sketchbook, he ran to where he was sitting and grabbed it, then headed back with the others.

            They had all made it back to the classroom and got started on the lab the teacher assigned that day. They had to mix certain powders with certain chemicals to get colors and other reactions. The teacher told them to get with their project partner to make it quicker to get into groups. While they did so, she was going to pass back their labs charts that they’ve turned in to be graded so far. She made her way to each group, giving her opinion on it. As she made it to Ruki and Reita, she sighed. She placed the paper on the table in front of the boys.

“I was expecting more from you Matsumoto-san.” She tapped her finger on the paper, before walking away. He gave her an odd look before grabbing the paper to look at it.

“Sorry.” Reita mumbled. The blonde stopped stirring what was in his glass and looked down. Ruki read over the paper to find nothing wrong, just a few words misspelled and it was a little sloppy. Sure it wasn’t explained super intelligently like real scientist would have it, but it showed he got the concept of it and was doing everything right.

“Don’t be bothered with what she says.” He sat the paper down and grabbed a flask. “She just likes to put people down.”

The athlete bobbed his head, but he didn’t feel better. He felt like he was a failure again and that he disappointed his friend. “I’ll try harder next time.”

“You don’t need to. You did everything correctly, it was just a bit sloppy was all. Next time I’ll go over it and help make it neater. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ok.” He muttered. Ruki looked at his sad expression, taking note of something else he just learned. Reita gets upset rather easily.

            They made it through the day without any more problems. Classes were boring like always, and the students were glad that the final bell would be ringing soon. Reita was doodling on a piece of paper since he was already finished with his math assignment. Aoi was halfway done and fast asleep on his desk, dreaming about food. Miyavi was leaning back in his chair, trying to balance a pencil on his nose as he balanced himself. Kai was finishing up when he glanced over at the half blonde and shook his head with a smile. Kouyou sighed as he answered the last problem and set his pencil down to rest his hand. Ruki was biting on his eraser as he inwardly growled at the numbers. The teacher clapping brought the class’s attention to him, except of course the sleeping magenta teen. Their teacher grabbed an eraser and threw it at him, making him yelp, jump, and fall out of his chair, making the class laugh.

“No sleeping!” The teacher growled before straightening up. He cleared his throat.“Now you have homework, congratulations Shiroyama-kun. Which isn’t a bad idea for all of you. I’ll be assigning extra homework from now on.”

“Shiroyama! Aoi!” The class complained.

“It’s not because of him, although I could blame him for the idea. You all have your semester exams after next week. So you better be happy I’m giving a chance to study more to be prepared for this class. I suggest you also study for your other classes, not just mine. That’s all. You may leave when the bell rings.”

They groaned as he wrote more pages for them to do on the board. They quickly wrote it down as he left the room, then started packing their things up and waited for the bell. After it rung, students ran out to head home, while others stayed behind to clean up the classrooms. Kouyou walked to the front and started erasing the board when a hand tapped his shoulder. He turned to find Hiroto standing there.

“It’s my turn too.” He smiled.

The brunette bobbed his head with a smile, but caught a glance of something pink in the corner of his eye. He turned to find Aoi looking at him from the door. “Yes?”

The teen jumped. “I was wondering if you needed any help, but…”

“No, it’s ok, thanks though.” The blonde answered happily. Kouyou looked at him with a bit of a glare, the question was towards him.

“Thank you Aoi, but we can handle it unless…”

The magenta boy scratched the back of his head. “Yeah…Kaoru said he would pick them up and wait outside.”

Hiroto looked between them. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Nothing.” The brunette answered. “I’m just helping him with something. You help clean if you want, it’ll help us get out quicker.”

He turned around and went back to erasing the board while Aoi grabbed the broom to start sweeping. The teen looked up to find Hiroto glaring daggers at him, which surprised him. The blonde turned away and looked for something to clean up.

            Afternoon turned into evening and Ruki was starting to pack his things from Reita’s home, surprising the blonde.

“You’re going home?” He tried not to sound sad.

“Yeah. I have a few things I need to do. With exams coming up, I really shouldn’t stay all night like I do sometimes, but I’ll still be over to help you out. Don’t worry.”

The athlete stood. “Would you like me to walk with you?”

Ruki rolled his eyes as he slung the bag behind him. “I’m not a girl. I can walk home by myself. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He sighed slipping his feet into his shoes, then headed out the door.

            He walked down the street, got onto the bus just before it left, and headed home. It wasn’t long with this transportation, and he was soon walking up to his door. He walked through, removed his shoes, and headed upstairs to his room. He quickly pulled out his sketchbook and placed it inside his pillowcase, then pulled his math homework out and sat at his desk. Before he could work on the first problem though, he heard someone walking down the hall. He blinked for a second before his door opened to show his angry father.

“We need to talk.” He said closing the door.

“About what?” Ruki asked.

“I looked up your grades today. Your math grade dropped!” He growled.

The chestnut swallowed hard. “I’m sure it was a mistake. He probably just forgot to put the grades in today.”

“You think I’m stupid? That was your excuse the last two times. I called your teacher and he informed me that you seemed to be doing fine and grades waver all the time. However, he told me that it indeed dropped.”

“I’m studying. I can’t be perfect! Sorry I can’t live up to your expectations, but why should I even try when nothing I do is good enough!” He yelled.

His father slapped him across the face, making him and the chair fall hard onto the floor. He whimpered a bit as he saw black spots floating around his vision. He blinked a few times as he looked up at his father to see him pulling off his belt. The chestnut clenched his teeth, squeezed his eyes and hands shut. He felt his shirt being raised before a loud pop and a stinging sensation ran through his back. He buried his head into the floor, to muffle his cry as his father struck him six more times. Each one a stinging burn that turned numb. Each a reminder of cruel his father could be. Each a punch into Ruki’s pride and defense, breaking them down slowly. After he was done, his father pulled his son to his feet and gripped the teen’s cheeks.

“You will never talk to me that way again, is that clear?”They glared for a moment before his father let go and slapped him across the face, busting his lip. “Is. That. Clear?”

“Yes.” Ruki mumbled, looking at the floor.

“Good. I want that grade back up. Until then, you do not help that boy.”

“He needs it. Exams are coming and he’s working hard, but he needs the push. Don’t stop me from going! Please!”

His father slapped him once more. “I said no!”

“He’s helping me too father.” He whimpered. “Please.”

“Honey.” They looked at the door to find Ruki’s mother standing in the doorway. “We need to talk.”

“Later.” The man growled.

“Now.” She said sternly. His father shook his head as he walked out. She looked at her son. “Homework, then bed.” She closed the door and left him alone.

He sat at the table and started working. He really didn’t care anymore, he just made it look like he was trying. After scribbling a page of bullshit, he carefully changed clothes. He turned off the light and slowly laid on his side on the bed, avoiding contact on his aching back. It was dark and quiet in the room, he could hear a mouse eating if there was one. He raised up, grabbed a small light from his nightstand and pushed it to turn it on. He grabbed his book bag from the side and pulled out his pencils. He grabbed his moleskin and opened it up to the first drawing in it. He carefully grazed his fingers on it before grabbing a pencil. He made a few lines over the face, then added a bit of a pattern, then held it out and looked at it. The face now had a noseband on it and it looked perfect. He smiled as he placed the picture down to start working on the hair and details.


	15. Chapter 15

            The sound of the alarm clock pierced the chestnut’s ears. He groaned as he sat up to turn it off, then he slowly slipped out of bed. He got out a uniform and pulled it on, then stepped out to the bathroom down the hall. He walked in to find the left side of his face swollen and a bruised. He lightly rubbed it before grabbing his toothbrush to continue on his morning. After he brushed his teeth, he styled his hair and went back to his room where he gathered all of his school needs. He slipped in his sketchbook, then pulled the bag on his shoulder and headed down to the front door. He grabbed his shoes and slipped them on as someone approached him.

“Takanori.” His mother spoke up.

“I’m going now.”

“You can continue to study with your friend. If you like you can also stay the night over there more. You don’t need to ask or tells us if you will be. Just make sure you take clothes from now on so you do not burden him.”

The chestnut kicked his shoes off and ran upstairs. He ran to his closet and pulled out a gym bag. He grabbed a bunch of uniforms, regular clothes, undergarments, and things like his toothbrush. He ran back down, slipped his shoes on, grabbed both bags and ran out. He went down the road and turned the corner like always before stopping. He dropped a bag to wipe his tears as he cried and leaned against a fence.

            Kouyou woke up due to a horn blowing from a car. He shook at the cold cement he was laying on, but he slowly sat up, wincing in pain as he did so. He looked over at his torn shirt, thrown to the side and his pants that were pulled down to his ankles. He let out a sob and covered his face as he started crying again. He hit himself in the head a few times, trying to forget what had happened, but the memory of the night before kept flashing through his head. He shook it as he reached down to pull his pants up. He grabbed his torn shirt, and slipped it so he had at least a little cover. Carefully, he stood up and leaned against the wall. He took steady breaths before he started limping out of the alleyway he was in. He could see the edge of the sun coming up to start the day. He sniffled, but moved to start heading home. He needed to get ready for school.

            Kai woke up warm in the bed he was in. He turned over to find Miyavi sleeping next to him, then he remembered he was at the other’s house. He sat up remembering that for the half blonde to stay quiet, he had to stay with him a few nights of the week. As much as it felt like blackmail, he knew Miyavi was only looking out for him and his safety. At first he felt strange sleeping in the bed with him, but when he tried to sleep on the couch in the living room…he was scared. The half blonde’s brother was weird and they were loud in his bedroom. Plus it started smelling really weird in there, so he went to Miyavi’s room. From then on, he’s slept in there with his classmate. He looked at the clock to find it a few minutes before the alarm went off, so he decided to shake his friend.

“Miyavi, it’s time to get up.”

The blonde opened his eyes bit before throwing his arm up to pull the brunette down into a kiss. Kai gasped, but his mouth was soon filled with the others tongue. He clenched his hands and groaned, but as the other’s hands rubbed his body, he started blushing. He nervously kissed back and whimpered as he felt a hand go over his bum. He felt chills go over his body and he shook a bit. Suddenly the alarm went off, waking the half blonde. His eyes grew wide as he pulled away and Kai shot up with a blood red face.

“Um…”

The brunette blinked a few times. “Yeah…”

            Kouyou had made it home in time to wake up his sisters. They had to skip breakfast because they didn’t have time. He told he over slept and that he was sorry, but he had to change and then leave them to get ready on their own. He hope Satomi would make them some cereal. He rushed to school to find himself a little early, so he headed up to the classroom. On the way up though, he had to stop and rest, so he went into the bathroom. He closed a stall and leaned against the wall before sliding down onto his knees. His body shook as he held himself and cried some more. He heard the bathroom door open, so he quieted down, but he listened as footsteps walk up to his stall

“Kou?”

The brunette looked up. “H-Hiroto?”

“Hey, are you ok? Open the door.”

“I’m fine, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Kouyou. Let me in, please. We can talk. Let me help you.” The brunette sniffled before he stood and opened the door. The blonde smiled as he stepped in and closed the door. He rubbed Kouyou’s cheek, wiping away a tear. “What happened?”

The teen’s face scrunched up as more tears poured out and he fell against Hiroto. “ _I…I was raped. I was raped last night. By so many…so many...”_

“Shh, tell me what happened.”

            Kouyou tucked in his sisters after they came home from Aoi’s place. He went into his mother’s room, grabbed some tight, low-cut red pants and slipped them on. He walked out to the bedroom and went through Satomi’s clothes until he found a plain black tank top. He slipped it on and it went down a little above his belly button. He grabbed a few bucks, some condoms and left the apartment. He went down to the bus stop and road into town like always. He watched the lights go by as he rode down the streets, past businesses, clubs, restaurants, and street lights. The bus finally stopped off to the side and he got off. He walked the rest of the way there where he found the usual people walking around. He strutted around like always until a usual car pulled up and he began his night. He had two costumers in total, which he didn’t mind since it was getting late. Usually he would go for about four or five, however, he was tired. He had decided to call it a night when an average looking man walked up to him. He smiled, as he examined the young teen.

“How much do you charge?” He ran a hand down the brunette’s side.

“What do you want?” Kouyou said seductively.

“How about…”He raised his hand and rubbed the teen’s nipple through the shirt, then moved it up more to rub the brunette’s lips. “we put this to use?”

“8,000 ¥”

“I can do that. Come on, I know a good spot.” He wrapped his arm around the younger’s waist and lead a little ways down the road. They walked off the main street and down further until they stopped at an alleyway. “This place should be good.”

Kouyou looked in to find it rather dark, trash was laying all in it and there was something that didn’t sit well with him. He pulled away from the man. “No. Not here.”

“Come on. I can’t afford a motel.”

“No, listen I shouldn’t have accepted the offer anyways. I need to get home.” The brunette tried to walk away, but the man grabbed his arm and started dragging him inside. “Let go of me!”

“No way.” He laughed as he forced Kouyou deeper into the alley. “Hey, look what I found.”

Three shadows stood up and laughed. The teen couldn’t see their faces, hell he couldn’t even make out the man that pulled him in anymore. It was so dark, he gasped when he felt hands groping all over his body. “Let go! Leave me alone!” He begged.

He cried out when he heard his shirt being ripped as they pulled it over his head and then pinned his arms behind his back. He cried out, begging them to stop as their hands rubbed his body. He felt a pair unbuckling his pants and pulling them down to his ankles. He could hear their laughter, their breathing, and groans. He cried out, begged them to stop as they lifted his hips up into the air. He was so scared. He didn’t want this, all he wanted was to put food on the table for his sisters. To buy Mayu toys and to pay for Satomi’s tuition next year. That’s all he ever wanted. He clenched his hands into fists and tried to think of his sisters as the first man forced his way in.

            Hiroto was sitting on the wall, holding the whimpering brunette as he cried. He lost it after he told what happened and was starting to hyperventilate. The blonde managed to calm him down and allowed Kouyou to rest against him.

“S-sorry.” The other whimpered. “I got makeup on you...your uniform.”

“Shh. It’s ok.” The blonde rubbed his friend’s head. “Everything will be ok now. I’m here for you.”

 “Thank you.” The brunette raised up and smiled as he rubbed his right eye. Hiroto looked sad, but took a deep breath and grabbed his friend’s cheeks. He leaned forward and kissed Kouyou on the lips ever so lightly. The other pulled away with a confused expression. “Why…”

“Kouyou…” Hiroto moved a little closer. “I…I love you.”

“Wha…what?”

“That’s why I avoided you. I’ve had a crush on you since junior high. Then when you started all this, it hurt because someone else had you before me. It kept hurting that you were doing all these things and I couldn’t stand it, but after I avoided you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. That I made a mistake and that you needed me. I couldn’t stay away any longer. I was worried. I still am. I want to be there for you, I’ve wanted to be there for you. Will you…go out with me? I know you do this for your sisters, I know you do this because you have to, but you also need somebody. I’ll support you and help you anyway I can. I won’t make you stop, I’ll ask you to, but I won’t make you.”

Kouyou looked away. “I…I can’t.”

The blonde moved his friend’s face back to look at him. “Why?”

“You know when I told you about me helping Aoi with something. Well, he’s paying me to pretend to be his girlfriend around his parents. Technically, I’m dating him.”

“But it’s fake right?”

The brunette sighed. “Yes.”

“Then there’s no problem. You’re doing it to get money for your sisters. I understand that. I won’t stop you from doing that either. Please, give me a chance. Please, try to be with me. I love you.”

Kouyou blushed. He’s never been told that except from his sisters. He rubbed Hiroto’s cheek and leaned over to give him a soft kiss on the lips. “Ok. I will…try.”

            Ruki made it to school and went straight to the gym where the blonde was surprisingly sitting on the benches, smoking. He looked over at the other teen and jumped to his feet. He put out the cigarette and ran to the shorter teen.

“What happened?” Reita asked, gently rubbing the swollen cheek.

The chestnut looked down. “Um…” the bell started ringing. “Can I stay at your place for a while?”

“Yeah, sure, but…”

“I’ll tell you when we get to your home later.”

“Ok.” The blonde ran back to grab his bag, then walked over and patted his friend’s back as they walked out of the gym. “Do you want to go to the bathroom, to cover that up before we get to class.”

“There’s no time. It’s ok, I can deal with it. I was surprised to find you not working out.”

The athlete smiled. “Well, you did tell me to stop and I rather not get anymore cramps for a while.”

“You started and got another one, didn’t you.”

Reita smiled and scratched his head. “Kind of. Anyways, so what would you like for dinner tonight?”

As they talked, they didn’t see the two forms sitting out in the hallway, overhearing them. The raven smiled at his friend. “Toshiya, I think…I’m going to torture those two some more.”

“Oh, how are you going to do that?”

Die smiled. “I have a plan, but we won’t be able to do it for awhile. What better way to get to Reita, than hurt his pathetic little boyfriend?”

The two smiled with dark intentions at their targets’ backs.

            As the day went on, Miyavi kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with everyone, especially Kai. Whenever he looked at the brunette, his face became bright red. He was so embarrassed at what happened that morning. Not only did he make out with the brunette, but he also got a hard on from it. Of course he blamed it on the dream. He was too embarrassed to tell Kai that his innocent red face was the actual cause.

‘I have to get over this crush before it ruins the only friendship I have!’ He thought. A finger tapped on his shoulder and he looked up to find the source of his embarrassment.

Kai smiled with a faint blush. “Everyone is gone to get their food. We should head out if we want to get some good stuff.”

“Yeah.” Miyavi whispered. They walked out together and headed down to the cafeteria. The half blonde swallowed hard as he kept looking over at his friend. He sighed as they walked down the hallway. “So… about this morning. I’m sorry.”

“I know. It’s ok, but I need to stay home tonight.”

Miyavi stopped and looked down. “Oh…”

“It’s not because of that. I need to check up on mom. Make sure everything is ok and stuff. You know.” He said, but his friend still kept his head down. He sighed as walked over and leaned to look him in the eyes. “Miya… it has nothing to do with this morning. I swear. I’ll stay over again tonight, but I have to go by my house first, ok?”

“I don’t want to force you…”

“You’re not. I enjoy staying with you. I’ll head over to mom’s as soon as school gets out, then I’ll go to your place ok?”

“Ok.” The teen smiled with tinted cheeks.

            They continued to the lunchroom, where they grabbed their meals and sat down beside their friends, but they were missing someone. Kai looked around to see if Kouyou was sitting alone again, but he couldn’t see the teen. “Where’s Kouyou?”

“He’s in line with Hiroto.” Aoi grumbled. “Said they were talking and stuff.”

“You ok?”

The magenta boy glared for a second, but looked down to stab his food. Kai looked at Reita, who shrugged his shoulders. They started eating like always, but it was very quiet and slightly tense for some reason. They ignored it and waited for Kouyou and Hiroto to walk over and when they did, the group was surprised. They were holding hands.

The brunette faced blushed as their eyes stayed on him. He swallowed and smiled. “Hiroto and I… are dating.”

Aoi’s chopsticks snapped in his grasp, but nobody except Kouyou noticed. Kai smiled and stood to hug them. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you two!”

“Calm down man. It’s not like their getting married.” Reita laughed. “But I’m glad you found someone Kouyou.”

The magenta boy felt shocked at the blonde’s words, and then it hit him. ‘Were not really dating. We’re just pretending is all. To fool my parents…yeah…he’s…he’s a guy. I’m not like that. I mean it’s not like he likes me. We’re just…friends. He’s not like those chicks. He wouldn’t betray me.’ He looked over as they sat down beside him and he smiled. “I’m happy for you.”

Kouyou wanted to smile, but for some reason, he couldn’t because those were not the words he wanted to hear from his classmate. “Thank you.”

“I hope you guys don’t mind me joining you.” Hiroto giggled nervously.

“Nah, it’s fine.” Aoi said. He looked in front of him and finally noticed Ruki’s face. “Hey, what happened to your cheek?”

They all looked at the chestnut with the same question in mind. The youngest looked down and sighed, but Reita patted his leg and smiled. Ruki smiled back before he started to explain everything. “My father did it because my math grade dropped.”

“Are you serious?” the group shouted.

He squirmed in his seat. He wasn’t use to having all eyes on him. “Um…yeah. It was also because I was arguing with him. It just got worse and he was about to make me stop tutoring Rei, but my mom pulled him away to talk to him. When I was leaving this morning, she said I could continue and stay as many nights with Rei as I want.”

“I’m going to kill him.” The athlete growled.

“Reita!”Kai snapped. “You can’t do that. It’s illegal.”

“But he…”

“Rei, it’s ok.” Ruki rubbed his angry friend’s arm. “I’ll be staying at your place, so he won’t bother me.”

“I’m tired of him hurting you.” the blonde mumbled. The chestnut rubbed Reita’s back and smiled, calming him down. Aoi and Kai watched with amazement as the simple act tamed him when they used to have to hold him down and force him to be calm. The brunette smiled, showing off his dimples at how affectionate Ruki has become of Reita. Miyavi blushed again from Kai’s smile and it started affecting him. He looked down and started running things through his head to try and stop his reaction.

‘Naked girls. Dirty bathrooms. School bathrooms. The old hag from the English department. English. Math. Science. Science project. Science test.’ His eyes shot open. “Science test. Oh fuck! Tests are next week!”

The group looked at him like he was crazy. Reita cocked his head to the side. “Um…you ok?”

“No! Our tests are next week! Aren’t you nervous?”

The blonde swallowed hard as reality set in and his paled. He forgot, he has to pass the tests to play. Ruki saw the sudden change and patted his friend’s back. “I’m nervous too. I’m worried about math. But don’t’ worry, I’ll help you study. By next week, you’ll fly through the tests with ease.”

Reita smiled. “Thank you and I’ll help you with your math.”

“You…will?”

“Of course, you helped me out, so I’ll help you. It’s only fair.”

“But—”

“He’s a genius when it comes to math.” Aoi said as he took a bite. “It’s probably the only academic thing he doesn’t have to study for.”

The chestnut shook his head. “Alright then. We’ll get started today.”

            The next week went by in a flash. Everybody was working hard on studying until test day finally came and went. Reita was beyond nervous, this was his last chance to stay on the team this year. His hands clenched and he stared at the ground that was below him.

“It’ll be ok.” He looked up to see Ruki smiling at him. They were about five minutes from school. “You did fine, I know it. Don’t be nervous, ok?”

The blonde bobbed his head. “Ok.”

The continued walking onwards. Reita looked over at his friend to find his swollen cheek mostly healed now. A faint bruise had showed up, but because Ruki always put make up on, no one else noticed it. They didn’t go to the gym for once, instead, they headed inside the building once it was unlocked. They went to their classroom where they found the new lovely couple making out. Aoi was sitting in his seat, practically destroying the desk with his glare. Kai thought if the magenta teen was any madder, the pits of hell would surely open up and the beings inside would all bow down to him. Reita looked at the brunette who shrugged. Reita followed the chestnut to his desk and sat on top as they younger sat in it.

“You know, he’s been acting that way since Kouyou and Hiroto started dating.” Ruki whispered.

“Yeah I know. I tried asking him about it, but he blew it off like it was nothing.” Reita whispered back.

“I’ve also noticed that Kouyou has been smiling a lot more now. Actually, I don’t think I have ever seen him smile.”

“But something is off about him.” The blonde hummed. “I know what it’s like to fake a smile.”

“What?”

Before Reita could answer, the first teacher stepped in and smiled. “Grades are up now.”

Everyone in the room ran out to see what theirs were, except Reita. Ruki noticed this and walked back in to see him looking down. He walked in and grabbed the blonde’s arm. “Come on.”

The chestnut dragged his friend out to the hallway where the crowd was started to grow at the list of papers. They split up and started looking for their scores for each class. Ruki looked at each to find his name at the top of each except math, but he was number two. He was surprised to see that Reita actually topped him there, but then again, the blonde was math mastermind. He smiled arrogantly, but it softened into normal one when he saw Reita smiling at one of the papers. Reita looked over at him. “I passed Reading and History!”

“I knew you would. Now what about science?” He asked. Reita moved over a page, but as he looked down the list, his smile turned into a frown, then he had a confused expression, so Ruki walked over. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find my name.”

They looked again, but his name wasn’t on the list. Ruki scratched his head. “Don’t worry about it. She probably missed yours. We’ll ask her about it after school.”

“Yeah. Ok.”

            They waited impatiently throughout the day to talk to their science teacher. They knew they couldn’t do it during class, they had too much work to do, but they did ask to meet her. She told them to meet her in the office because she had to talk to Reita anyways. So there they were in the office looking at their teacher and principal. In her hand was a test paper.

“Fukuya-sensei,” Reita mumbled. “Why wasn’t my test score posted?”

“That’s the same reason I called you down here Suzuki-san.” She sighed. “You should know by now that I don’t tolerate cheaters.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Not only is it immoral, but dishonorable for you to do such a thing.”

“I didn’t cheat!” the blonde shouted. “Why do you think I did?”

She showed the paper. It had his name on it and a score of ninety-nine. Ruki glared at her. “I don’t see your proof.”

She glared back. “You shouldn’t even be here. He has always had low grades and the one he needs to pass, he suddenly gets a top score. That doesn’t add up.”

“Sure it does.” The chestnut spoke again. “He studied. I’ve helped him study, I’ve tutored him and taught him the lessons again. He was able to learn and he did not cheat. That is a passing test. He earned that and you’re trying to take it away from him.”

The principal sighed. “Matsumoto, I do trust your intelligence and believe you have helped him. However, he barely scores over a C. I can’t just throw away the suspicion that he cheated.”

“Then I’ll retake the test.” Reita finally spoke up. “You two can be the only other people in the room. You can give me a different test and I will still pass it.”

Ruki looked at him and smiled. The principal sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Fine then. Fukuya, go print another test and he’ll take it in my office right now.”

            Miyavi decided to stop by a store on the way home to grab some candy and drinks for tonight. It wasn’t much of a meal, but they were out of food at the house right now. He’ll have to shop later that week when Kai wasn’t there. He paid for the goods, then started down to his house. It wasn’t too far from the store, but he was taking his time. He didn’t want to deal with his brother’s crap today. It had been a bad day already with incident this morning. He sighed as he walked up to the door and unlocked it.

“I home.” He mumbled, taking his shoes off. He dropped his bag and started towards the kitchen to put the drinks in the fridge, but then something hard hit him upside the head. He fell hard onto the floor and tried to see past the black dots around his eyes as his arms were forced behind him. He felt them being tied together, then suddenly he was yanked to his feet and thrown into the kitchen. He looked up to see his brother’s girlfriend and his brother, bound and gagged across the room. He looked up to see three masked men dressed in all black.

“What’s going on?” He asked. The one that tied him up, kicked him in the stomach, shutting him up.

He watched as they pulled his brother’s girlfriend to her feet. “You’re going to pay for stealing from us. Starting with…watching her die.”

The one pulled out a knife and dragged it across her neck as she screamed. They dropped her, and watched as blood drained from her. She tried to struggle from the bonds, but that only quickened the inevitable. She was dead in mere minutes, her blood already reaching Miyavi’s shoulder. 

“Please stop.” The teen whimpered as they picked his brother up. The man beside him kicked him again, silencing him. He watched as the other two started punching his brother with brass knuckles on. His brother was bleeding from his head, the red substance soaked his brown hair. The older brother cried out as his nose was broken, ribs kicked, left knee snapped, and his body thrown all over the room. Miyavi’s cheeks were covered in tears as he watched his brother being beaten. He begged them to stop, but he was kicked for it. The same one that slit the woman’s throat, pulled the knife out again. He kneeled down and started stabbing the man’s torso over and over. The half blonde struggled, but was kicked and this time, it continued. The man above him assaulted him like they did to his brother. When the beating stopped, he looked up at them.

“Plea…please. I didn’t…steal from you.” He whimpered and looked at his dead brother. They looked at each other before walking out, but one returned with a gas can. He watched as they poured it onto the bodies, then all over the room. He splashed it all over, except for on him, but kept looking at the others as if they were trying to figure out what to do with him. Before they could decided however, the doorbell rung. Miyavi’s eyes grew wide. “No…No! Please don’t hurt him! I’m begging please don’t hurt him! He has nothing to do with this!”

“What do we do?”The men looked at each other before one started walking out.

“No, please!” The teen begged, then he screamed all he could. _“Run! Kai, Run!”_

Suddenly the three men went running past him out the back door, confusing him, but it wasn’t too long before he knew what happened. The fire they started in the living room quickly spread into the kitchen. He struggled to get up, but was slipping on blood and the pain in his stomach didn’t help much. He rolled over and used his head to help lift his body enough to raise up to his feet. He looked up before he could take a step and found his friend staring at him with fright. Kai looked at the bodies on the floor, but Miyavi stood in his way so he couldn’t see. The half blonde pushed him with his shoulder, getting him to finally move. The brunette grabbed his friend’s arm and helped him run out the door, where they fell onto the grass. Kai jumped to his feet and ran back inside for a second, only to run out with Miyavi’s shoes and book bag. The brunette quickly untied his friend and sat in front of him to make sure he was ok. Miyavi sighed as he placed his forehead on the other’s shoulder and hugged him tightly. Kai returned the gesture as the sound of faint sirens filled the air.


	16. Chapter 16

            It was morning time and the sun was flowing through the window, lighting up the room where the two teens were sleeping in bed. However, the brunette’s eyes soon opened up to find his classmate sleeping soundly in his arms. The half blonde’s eyes were still puffy from him crying the night before. It had scared Kai. He had never seen his friend that way before. Last night was indeed a tragedy. Miyavi was in such a terrible state that he had to stay with the brunette last night, whether Kai’s father liked it or not. It was the address they gave to police while they investigate and he had to stay there. The brunette sighed as he hugged the taller boy tighter. Last night…Miyavi lost everything. His home, what family he had left, and everything he ever owned.

_Kai hugged the older boy tightly as he watched the house burn brightly in the fading light of the sky. As the sirens grew closer, he tightened his hold on his friend. Sirens meant firefighters, but they also meant police. He didn’t want Miyavi to get arrested for having drugs, even though all the evidence was being burned._

_“Are you going to tell them everything?” Kai whispered._

_The half blonde sat up to show his watery eyes. “I have to.”_

_“But they’ll arrest you.”_

_“Silly! No they won’t, they can’t. Even if I admitted I’ve done drugs, if they don’t’ find it on me, they can’t incarcerate me. I haven’t done them in the past couple of days so, they should mostly be out of my system. School is testing soon, so I had to get clean for a few days. They won’t find anything in me right now.”_

_The brunette dropped his head this time. “Miyavi…drugs is the cause of this. You’re making it sound like you’re going to g start doing them again.”_

_“Well…”_

_“Don’t! You’ll kill yourself!”_

_The half blonde looked as three police cars showed up and as they were getting out, two fire trucks pulled up. He smiled at back at his friend. “We’ll finish this later.”_

_The police ran to them and pulled them to their feet to get them away from the house. They wrapped blankets around them and sat them on steps of a fire truck to start asking questions. Kai started. “I was going to stay the night here, that’s why I came over. When I did, I saw these guys through the window and heard Miyavi screaming for me to run, then one man lit a fire and it just…took over the house in a second. I was scared, so I ran in to find Miyavi getting up with his hands tied up. I looked over and saw…”He cringed._

_“Saw?” The police man._

_“My brother.” Miyavi took over. “He saw my dead brother.” He bit his lip as tears started to fall down his face._

            Kai opened his eyes again. “I don’t want to ever see you cry again.” He whispered, rubbing his friend’s face. Miyavi groaned, but opened his red eyes to find himself in the brunette’s arms.

“Kai?”

“Hey sleepy head. Did you sleep ok?”

“Fine. What time is it?” He mumbled.

Kai looked over at the clock. “a little past eleven.”

“What about school?”

“Mom said it was alright for us to miss a day because of happened. I…I called and told Reita everything. Him and everyone else wants to come over after to school to see you, if that’s ok with you.”

Miyavi raised up. “Why…do they want to do that?”

“You’re their friends silly. They want to make sure you’re ok.”The brunette laughed, patting his friend’s head.

“My friends?”

“Yeah, they wouldn’t sit by you if we weren’t all friends.”

Miyavi smiled as he placed his head on the brunette’s shoulder. “I’m alright with seeing them, but could they come another day, like tomorrow.”

“Sure, I’ll tell them.”

 “Kai?”

“hmm?”

The half blonde wanted to say something so bad. He wanted to say he had a crush on the brunette, but it was stuck in his throat. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Miyavi pulled away and laid back down, placing his arms under his head. “So…what are we going to do today?”

“Hmm, I guess just lay here, or chill…something. I’m not really sure.” Kai laughed.

“We could make out.”

“Eh?”

The half blonde bursted into a fit of laughter. “I was joking!”

“Oh…”

“Though…” he looked at his classmate. “thinking about it…it’s not a bad idea. That kiss we had yesterday was pretty nice, you’ve got to admit.”

Kai’s face turned bright red. “Well…I um…it…you see…” The memory made his body shake. Miyavi’s eyes soon turned in that of a predators as he moved to his knees and sat in front of the brunette.

“Was that your first kiss?”

The brunette’s face lit up. “No!”

Miyavi smirked, “Oh really?”

“Well…yes and no. It was the first time I’ve been kissed by a guy.” He looked at his classmate and blushed again as he got closer. The half blonde lifted Kai’s chin and leaned down press another kiss against the plumped lips. He was gentle as he did so, barely making contact, but enough to make Kai’s shiver. He pulled away and waited for the reaction. “Miyavi…”

“Hmm?”

“You just kissed me.”

“Yes I did.”

“Why?”

“Because…you looked like you needed to be kissed. I felt like kissing and I also…I…I have a small…I like…you see…I um…I like you.”He finally spat out, but soon regretted it. He quickly turned and slid off the bed to sit on the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot. Liking you of all people.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Kai sounded offended.

The half blonde turned and waved his hands. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way…just…you’re my friend…and you’re straight…”

His classmate rolled his eyes as he laid on his stomach. “I never said I was straight.”

“Eh? You’re gay?”

“No. I didn’t say that either.”

“Then what…”

“I consider myself bisexual really. I get turned on by guys sometimes so yeah, that makes bi.”

“You never told me that!” Miyavi cried.

“You never asked. Honestly, you wasn’t going to offend me if you had.”

“So…what does this mean?” He mumbled.

“What?”

“You telling me that. You not freaking out about the kiss.” He looked down with a red face.

Kai scratched his head. he didn’t want to hurt his friend, but he didn’t want to lead him on either. “I’m not going to date you if that’s what you mean.”

Miyavi’s eyes grew wide. “Oh. I…I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot.”

“Of course you are.” The brunette sighed as he climbed down to sit beside him. “You can’t just kiss somebody and expect them to like you back then go out with you. It doesn’t work that way.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kai bit his lip. He felt bad. Miyavi needed to be comforted right now, but he didn’t want pity the man and lead him the wrong way. However…he was too embarrassed to admit the kiss they shared the day before turned him on more than he wanted to believe…seeing as he also got an erection from his friend. Miyavi was hot, he knew how to kiss, and he was certainly embarrassed beyond belief right now. The brunette patted his friend’s back. “What do you like about me?”

“Well…” Miyavi’s face grew redder. “I like your smile. Your laugh and your eyes. I love how you’re friendly towards everyone and how you help them. How you helped me. I love your kindness, how strong you are, and how you deal with things. I love how you didn’t freak out when I told you I was gay, that you supported me instead. I love you for being you.” the half blonde gasped and covered his mouth. “I mean, I like you for being you.”

“Ok.” Kai smiled. He gripped his classmate’s hands. “I believe you. Miyavi, you can’t just kiss someone and expect them date you, but if asked instead…then maybe they would consider it.”

It took a moment for him to realize what the brunette was saying, but when he got it, he smiled. He grabbed Kai’s hands and looked him in the eyes. It took all the strength he had, but he asked the question. “Kai…would you go out with me?”

“Yes. I will.”

The half blonde smiled and leaned to kiss him, but Kai stopped him just as quickly. “What?”

“Miyavi, you don’t kiss when you first start dating, especially two seconds afterwards. That is something that is shared when the time is right. It has to be special. This isn’t a fairytale where the princess suddenly falls in love with a prince just because he saved her. It doesn’t work out like that in real life.”

“So…” Miyavi scratched his head. “I should wait…”

“Yes.”

“Okay…can we at least hug?”

“Hugging is fine.” Kai giggled and was suddenly squeezed by the other’s arms. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around Miyavi as well, and hugged back.

            It was lunch time at school and the group was sitting together. Uruha was leaning against his boyfriend and was taking a much needed nap. Aoi was glaring at his food, playing with it more than eating it. Ruki and Reita looked at each other before going back to silently eating. It felt so tense for some reason. Aoi won’t talk about why he’s so mad and just continues to fume about it. Which Reita found odd because the magenta teen often talked to him about these things and he hasn’t yet. It was several minutes before Aoi realized he turned his food into mush. He sighed, throwing his chopsticks on his tray. Hiroto scratched his head, trying to find something to talk about.

He smiled at Reita. “I heard you almost didn’t make it on the team this year. What’s that all about?”

The blonde sighed. “Fukuya-sensei tried accuse me of cheating on a test I needed to pass. We convinced her and the principal to let me retake it with different questions. They had to watch me, but I ended scoring a point higher than I had the first time. I was exhausted afterwards, but I can play now, so I’m very happy.”

“Me too.” Aoi spoke up. “We would have a hard time this year if you didn’t make it.”

“No way! You could totally lead the team I hadn’t got on.” The blonde laughed.

“We have our first try-outs today.” Hiroto mumbled. “I hope I get on again this year! Last year was so hard.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about that.” Aoi smiled looking at his friend.

“Don’t get too cocky.” Reita laughed. “Though, I do have to agree.”

“Now who’s being cocky?” Ruki said rolling his eyes.

The blonde smiled. “I was captain last year. Coach said I’ll probably be captain again this year too if I made the team.”

The chestnut smiled and shook his head. He sighed as he stood. “I’ll be right back. Need to use the bathroom.” He walked to the doors and out of the cafeteria. Across the hallway was the restroom, so he got there quickly and did his business. He was zipping up his pants when he heard the bathroom door open and he turned to find his two tormentors there, smiling. He carefully stepped back as they walked closer to him.

“Hey Takanori.”

The chestnut glared at him. “What do you want Andou?”

The raven laughed as he stepped closer. “Oh nothing much.”

Ruki quickly moved past him only to get pushed back by Toshiya. Then he was pulled back by the shirt and thrown into a stall where the two stepped in and locked the door. He swallowed hard. “Stay away from me.”

“Or what? You’ll tell your boyfriend?” Die laughed. He grabbed the younger teen’s shirt and lifted him up enough to throw him over the toilet. Before Ruki could even react, his head was in the bowl of water and the other two teen’s laughter was muffled by the flushing toilet. The chestnut flailed his arms to try and knock them away, but it didn’t work. He then tried pushing himself up, but the hand on his head pushed down further. He kicked his feet hard and made contact with something. He had to guess it was one of his attackers since they let go. He jumped and turned to see Die holding his hands between his legs. The raven glared at him.

“You little…shit.” He grunted. Ruki pushed him into Toshiya and opened the stall to run out, but a hand grabbed his hair, pulling him back. He yelped as he gripped the arm that held him. Die limped in front of him and pulled out a pocket knife. “Let’s see you try to get away now.”

The chestnut glared at him before swinging his leg up, taking another nut shot, then stomped down on Toshiya’s foot. The older teen let go to grab his limb and Ruki ran out of the bathroom. Before he could get inside the cafeteria, he bumped into a large mass. He fell on his butt, but looked up to see Reita looking down at him with a surprised expression. He leaned down to pull his friend up.

“What happened?”

“Nothing. Let’s go back in.” Ruki tried to push him in the cafeteria, but the bathroom doors opened up and his two attackers walked out with smiles on their faces.

“Well, well. I didn’t think you would come out so fast.” Die smirked.

The blonde clenched his fists and started walking to them. Ruki stood in front of him to try and stop him, but he was easily pushed to the side. He watched as Reita raised his arm up and got ready to strike. He sucked in air as he ran and jumped against the athlete, pulling the arm down with all his strength.

“Don’t. He has a knife.”

“You think I care? He hurt you.” Reita growled.

“I don’t want _you_ to get hurt.” Ruki whimpered. “Besides, if you do this, they won’t allow you on the team. This is exactly what he wants. All of your work will be for nothing!”

The blonde continued to glare at Die, but relaxed his arms. The raven laughed. “What a little bitch you are. Doing whatever your boyfriend tells you to. I bet he didn’t even have to pull out the whip to get you in line. He probably gives you enough ass—”

“Shut up.”Reita’s voice was low and dark. It sent shivers through Ruki’s spine. The shorter looked at him and was surprised. The blonde’s face was red, a deep scowl had formed and he happy eyes were so cold now. “Don’t you dare talk about him that way.”

Die stepped back. “Or what?”

“I’ll destroy you.”

“Reita…” The chestnut whimpered. It grew silent as the two stared off.

“What’s going on?”Aoi walked out to find them standing there. Hiroto and Uruha were behind him. The raven looked at the three before kissing his teeth and walking away with his partner behind him. Ruki sighed, leaning his head against the blonde’s arm. The magenta boy raised a brow at how the younger was hugging Reita’s arm. “What happened?”

“Ruki. I don’t want you walking around by yourself anymore. Have one of us with you where ever you go.”

The chestnut pulled away and pouted. “I’m big boy. I don’t need babysitters.” He flinched when Reita looked down at him with those eyes. He had never seen the blonde so…angry. He seemed almost ready to kill or fight to the death. Aoi gripped his shoulder and smiled.

“Let’s get you dried up. The clinic has some towels. I’ll take you over.”The older teen said. Ruki nudged his head, but looked back at the blonde before walking away. They turned the corner and went about halfway down before Aoi spoke up again. “What did Andou do?”

“He gave me a swirly, then I think he insulted me. I didn’t think Reita could get mad.”

“Me neither. I’ve only seen him with that face once before. His sister had came home with a black eye. Her boyfriend at the time had hit her. Later that night we snuck out and went to find him in his usual spot. Reita provoked him, making him punch first. Reita didn’t hesitate to beat the shit out of him. I don’t think I had seen anything scarier than that. Reita almost killed him with his bare hands. Because of that he was sent back to the hospital for two months. Lucky for him we were on break so he didn’t miss much of school.”

“Hospital?”

Aoi instantly froze and clamped his hand over his mouth. He looked over at the chestnut with wide eyes before gripping the shorter teen’s shoulders. “You didn’t hear that ok? I never said that. Don’t ever mention that around him. Do you hear me? Never say that I mentioned that.”

“Why?”

“It’s a secret and it slipped from my mouth. You can’t say anything. You have to swear to me that you won’t.”

“Ok. I swear.”

Aoi looked down. “Ruki. I’m trusting you. If you say anything, he won’t trust me anymore. He won’t be my friend anymore. Do you understand? Our friendship would be on the line if you opened your mouth.”

Ruki patted his friend’s arms and smiled. “I won’t say anything. I said I won’t, so I won’t.”

The pink haired teen bobbed his head and smiled. “Let’s get to the clinic.”

            After school, a large group of students gathered into the gym to start tryout’s  for that year’s basketball team. It had already started when Ruki walked in. He looked up in the stands to find several girls watching, along with a few guys whom were friends with those on the floor. He started walking up when he noticed Kouyou sitting on the first bench in the corner, so he walked over and sat next to him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” He mumbled.

“Why are you here?” Ruki asked.

“Hiroto’s trying out remember? He asked to me to come and watch.”

“Oh. That’s cool.” He smiled and turned to watch. Reita and Aoi were already standing by the coach talking to him.“Did I miss anything? I mean, did they already tryout?”

“Yeah. They didn’t have to do much, then the couch pulled them to the side to talk.” Kouyou said. “What took you so long to get here anyways? Reita seemed mad when they started because you weren’t here.”

“I was talking with our math teacher. He said…I wasn’t doing so well again.” He mumbled and looked down. “I can’t go home.”

“Ruki…”

The chestnut smiled up at him. “I’ll be okay. Reita’s letting me stay at his place. So everything will be fine.” His face became a faint pink.

“Ruki…do you like Reita?”

“Eh? Of course not! Where did that come from? Ewe!”

Kouyou raised a brow. “Whatever you say.” He looked down to see Hiroto dribbling the ball around somebody and shooting a hoop. The blonde looked up and Kouyou smiled, earning a smile from his boyfriend, but when he turned, the brunette frowned. Ruki saw this, but decided not to point it out.

            Reita was looking at the list of names on his coach’s clipboard to find his and Aoi’s checked off along with Die and Toshiya’s. He frowned a bit, but looked over at the two playing. They were good and were needed on the team, but he still felt uneasy about it. He looked down the list to find lines through the names the coach didn’t want. The man was tapping his pen on Hiroto’s name while he watched the blonde.

“He was on the team last year.” Reita whispered.

The older man sighed. “But he struggled. He did get a little better, but I’m not sure I want him on the team.”

“I have to agree.” Aoi sighed. “Sure he has experience, but he hasn’t gotten better. He would only hinder us in our games.”

“At least put him on as a substitute. Like Aoi said, he has experience. He just needs to get better is all and we should give him that chance.” The couch tapped the pencil on his chin before bobbing his head. He made a note on the paper as Reita looked at Aoi to find him glaring. “What’s wrong?”

The magenta boy looked ahead. “Nothing.”

“Excuse us.” Reita said and pulled his friend away. He led them outside the gym and made sure no one was around. “Seriously? What the hell is going on? Ever since they started dating you’ve been mad, having tantrums, and disrespecting Hiroto.”

“I said nothing.”

“Yuu!”

“I don’t know! Okay. I don’t know.” He leaned against the wall. “When I see them together…I feel…I feel like I’m being betrayed again.”

“Aoi… what do you feel when your with Kouyou?”

“I don’t know. Protective I guess. I mean…no…I did mean that. But I’m that way with his sisters too. They’ve grown on me and I don’t feel as lonely when he’s around. I like spending time with him.”

“I think you’re jealous.”

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Of Hiroto.” Reita smiled. “Because Kouyou is with him instead of you.”

Aoi looked away. “I’m not jealous. I have nothing to be jealous about. I’m not gay. So I’m not jealous.”

“I never said you were gay.” The blonde patted his friends back. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a crush on him.”

The magenta boy sighed and dropped his head. “Whatever.”

            The tryout was soon finished and the teens all headed out to go home. Reita and Ruki left together as Aoi approached Hiroto and Kouyou. They were getting ready to leave when he spoke up.

“Hey, Kouyou.” He swallowed. “I was wondering if you could come over again today.”

The brunette looked at his boyfriend then smiled at the pink haired teen. “Sure. I’ll need a little bit of time to get ready.”

“Oh, my parents won’t be home tonight. So you don’t have to. I was just asking if you wanted to hang out. If not, that’s cool. I don’t want to mess up your plans with…Hiroto.”

“It’s alright.” Kouyou smiled. “I can go. Satomi took Mayu to a friend’s place today, so Kaoru won’t have to pick them up. Though it would be nice if he could stop by there on the way home so I could get them.”

“Yeah sure.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Hiroto spoke up. He lifted Kouyou’s chin and pulled him into a kiss. The brunette had a sharp intake of air, but kissed him back. Aoi clenched his fists, but remained calm. He watched as the made out for a few minutes, but Kouyou finally pulled away and stepped back.

“I’ll see you later.” He whispered. He and Aoi walked out of the gym as the blonde grabbed his bag and walked out the other side.

            When they got to the magenta boy’s home, they headed straight to his room and closed the door. They sat on the floor and stared up at the ceiling in utter silence. Kouyou felt strange being there without girl clothes on, but he felt more comfortable this way. Aoi was being quiet though. It seemed like the other teen had a lot on his mind at the moment. He looked at the pink haired teen to find him lost in thought. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words that came out weren’t his.

“Let’s have sex.” Aoi blurted out.

“Um…what?”

The pink haired teen stood and pulled the brunette up, only to push him on the bed. He climbed over Kouyou, kicking his shoes off before he sat fully on the mattress. “I’ll pay however much you want. I want to have sex with you.”

The brunette felt his heart speed up, his face flush, and his member twitched. He felt his whole body heating up as Aoi moved down to kiss his neck. He’s done this so many times, so why does it feel so different now? Why is he reacting this way? No. It didn’t feel right, at least he didn’t think it did. He pushed them both up. “Well I don’t! I have a boyfriend!”

Aoi growled. “What? You fucked anyone you could in school. You fucked people because your mom told you to. You fucked strangers from the streets. But someone you know, someone trying to help you wants have sex and you say ‘no’. What the hell? Why is it ok for you to have sex with everyone else? Why can’t you have it with me? Is there something wrong with me?”

“There is nothing wrong with you.” Kouyou pushed him away and got off the bed. “We’re not dating so it doesn’t matter if we have sex or not. I don’t have to do it with you. I can fuck who ever I want, whenever I want! I don’t want to fuck you!”

“Kouyou!”Aoi yelped when the other teen ran out of the room. He got up and ran out behind him, all the way down the stairs and to the front door. The magenta boy grabbed his classmate’s arm, but the brunette spun around and slapped him across the face. Both of their eyes grew wide from the action, and they grew still. Kouyou looked at his shaky hand before looking at his friend’s face.

“Aoi I’m—”

“I’ll get Kaoru. So you don’t have to walk home.” He whispered, letting go of the brunette’s arm. He kept his head down as he walked further inside to find his driver. Kouyou covered his mouth as he began to cry.

            Miyavi opened his eyes to find the setting sun shining in his face. He sat up to find that he had fallen asleep about an hour before when they were playing a card game on the bed. He felt bad about doing that, but his eyes just closed up on him. He yawned, but it was interrupted when he heard something being knocked over.

“Please stop!” He heard Kai’s mother beg, then he heard a loud bang from down the hall. He jumped to his feet and ran out to find Kai being pinned against the wall by his father. The brunette’s nose was bleeding and his shirt had been torn. His father swung his fist into the teen’s stomach, making him cry out in pain. Miyavi felt something inside of him snap. He tackled the grown man to the floor and started slamming his fist’s into the father’s face. Kai slid down the wall and watched as his friend continued the assault. The man punched Miyavi off, but the teen quickly went back on the attack. The brunette shook as he stood up, but he rushed over and grabbed his friends arm as he fell, stopping the punch.

“St-stop.” Kai begged.

“He just hurt you again. I’m returning the favor!”

“You’ll kill him!” the brunette gasped. “Please Miyavi. Please stop!”

The half blonde slid off the man, allowing him to turn over and slump in pain. The teen kissed his teeth before gripping the man’s shirt and pulling him up. His voice had gravel in it as he yelled. “Get out! If I see you near Kai again, I will kill you with my bare hands! Is that clear?”

The man grunted, but pulled away and swayed to the door. Miyavi clenched his teeth as he rushed over, grabbed the father’s shirt and threw him out. He walked out and kicked the man all the way to the street before he walked back in. He grabbed the brief case to the side and threw it out to the road, then went back inside. This time he went to the master bedroom, pulled out all the male clothes he could find and hold, then threw them out as well. He went back in and closed the door, then locked it. He looked over to find Kai’s mother crying as she sat next to her son. Miyavi kneeled in front of him where the brunette laid his head on the half blonde’s shoulder.

“Thank you.” He whispered. His boyfriend hugged him tightly and kissed his neck.

“I’ll protect you no matter what. I won’t let him hurt you again.” He whispered in Kai’s ear. The brunette sniffled as he finally embraced his lover.


	17. Chapter 17

            The next day came sooner than expected. After Miyavi kicked Kai’s father out, he cleaned up while Ms. Uke cleaned her son up. After that they had went straight to bed. The half blonde was up most of the night and held Kai, rubbing his back gently. Due to those events, they ended up waking up late and had to rush to get ready for school. Miyavi thanked the brunette’s mother for washing his uniform the night before and she even called the school to order more for him. As they headed down the road, the half blonde smiled to his boyfriend.

“You shouldn’t have gone through that. It was wrong for him to do it.”

“I know, but really, there was nothing I could do.” Kai sighed.

“You didn’t deserve it. You deserved so much better. You’re such a good person and you always help people. It’s not fair that you got hurt all the time.”

“Miyavi.” The brunette stopped and his lover faced him with a sad expression. Miyavi pulled him into a hug.

“I won’t let that happen again. From now on, I’m going to protect you. I’m going to take care of you and make sure you’re never hurt again. I’ll protect your mother too. Neither of you deserve such treatment.”

“Thank you.”Kai closed his eyes as he buried his head into the taller one’s shoulder and clenched his uniform as he hugged back. They stood there for a good three minutes before they pulled apart and smiled. Miyavi started walking again, but Kai waited a second before letting out a light sigh. He quickly walked next to the half blonde and grabbed his hand. Miyavi looked at him and blushed, but he held the hand that grabbed his. They continued walking down the road in silence until they reached the school entrance. Kai took a deep breath before they walked onto the school grounds. Them holding hands was already catching other students attentions. Most were too shocked to ask about it, but some felt it was none of their business and kept doing whatever.

            Miyavi was blushing at how open they were being. Kai was nervous and slightly embarrassed as well, but it felt…right somehow. They walked all the way up to the classroom where they found mostly everybody waiting. A few girls gasping signaled everyone to turn and look at them as they stood at the doorway. Hiroto and Kouyou turned from their desks, as did Reita, Ruki, and Aoi. The brunette’s face turned a light pink, but Miyavi’s turned to a deep red.

Kai smiled brightly however. “What?”

“You’re…holding hands…” Maya said slowly, as if he wasn’t believing what he was seeing.

“Yeah and?”

“Why?”

“Um…we’re dating. I thought us holding hands made it pretty obvious.” The brunette laughed. Reita smiled as he walked up to them.

“Congrats! However,” the blonde glared at Miyavi. “if you hurt him, you better hope you have health insurance.”

“Reita!” Kai shouted, but the half blonde laughed.

“I would never do such a thing.”

“Good.” The athlete smiled, but it faded down a little. “I’m sorry…about what happened.”

Miyavi’s face turned blank and he looked away only to find his classmates looking at the floor with sad expressions. He looked back and smiled. “It’s ok. I’ll get through it. Kai is being extremely helpful and I have all of you guys to help me too.”

“Of course!”

            It had been another average day really. Same boring lessons, same boring people, so it was no surprise when everyone went running out of the classrooms like insane monkeys. Aoi walked out to find Hiroto pushing against Kouyou’s body, hugging his waist gently. The brunette was smiling softly at the shorter teen. The blonde smiled back before raising up and kissing his boyfriend. Aoi looked down at the floor. Kouyou had been ignoring him all day, actually he hadn’t even looked at the magenta boy and it hurt. The older teen couldn’t believe that such a thing was hurting him. He was so confused. Kouyou was a boy, a boy that sold his body to strangers, but even then…these feelings inside him, are feelings that are foreign to him. He gets so mad when he sees them together, then when he thinks about Kouyou sleeping around, he just feels like he’s going to explode. Last night he…tried to get them to have sex. He wanted it so badly, he didn’t know why. Maybe to feel closer? Or maybe to mark him or be a part of his life that’s not a lie. In the end though, he just pissed the other teen off and ran him away. Kouyou had moved his eyes slightly, but enough to spot Aoi staring at him. He sighed.

“What?”

Aoi jumped when he realized what he was doing. The hallway was already empty and he was still staring at them. Hiroto had turned and was glaring at him again. “Uh…sorry. Do you have any plans tonight?”

“Maybe, why?”

The magenta boy looked away. “Oh…my parents…yeah, my parents wanted to talk to you about something. It shouldn’t take long.”

“I don’t know…”

“Please.”

“If he doesn’t want to, then he doesn’t have to.” Hiroto grumbled.  The older teen suddenly remembered the night before where Kouyou had yelled similar words to him.

He looked down, ashamed. He really tried to have sex with the brunette even when he didn’t want it. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone then.”

Kouyou bit his lip as he watched the other practically run down the hallway. “Aoi!” He called, stopping his classmate. “I’ll go, but I can’t stay long.”

Aoi shook his head. “Thank you!”

“Kouyou!” Hiroto groaned. He didn’t want his boyfriend hanging out with Aoi. Actually he didn’t even want him near the other boy, even though he said it was alright.

“I have to.” The brunette whispered. “I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?”

The blonde shook his head before rubbing his lover’s cheek and pulling him down for a kiss. It was soft, delicate almost, but before Hiroto could make it deeper, the brunette had pulled away. He sighed as he watched Kouyou run up to Aoi and walk away with him. He clenched his fists and glared at the magenta teen’s back. He was starting to hate his classmate for taking his precious Kouyou away from him twice already.

            Aoi had quickly asked a friend if she could lend him her school uniform. She was slightly confused at first, but she had extra clothes so she gave it to him with the promise of him returning them the next day. After that, Kouyou ran to a bathroom and changed before they headed out to get home. On the way however, they stopped by his sisters’ school to pick them up too. They all rode in silence except for when Mayu remembered something that happened that day. The new boy had kissed her on the cheek and gave her a paper flower that he had made. Kouyou was smiling as she told them about the young boy. She said his name was Vinvin, but her brother had his doubts. He seemed like a nice boy the way Mayu was describing him. Charming, handsome, nice, funny, and protective. All three were finding it hard not to laugh at the words she used. She showed them her flower, then she stared at it as they drove the rest of the way in silence.

            When they arrived, Kaoru followed the girls to the living room so he could get them drinks or any food if they needed it. After they disappeared, Aoi sighed as he turned to face the brunette. “I’m sorry. I lied.”

“What?”

“My parents didn’t want to talk you, they’re not even home. I…I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I am so sorry Kouyou!” He fell to his knees and bowed his head. “I don’t know what came over me. I just…it, the idea, just popped into my head. I was having a bad day and when you refused…I just took my anger out on you. I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me.”

The brunette sighed as he sat beside the magenta teen. “I’m sorry too. I overreacted a little bit. I shouldn’t have slapped you.”

“It’s ok.”The older boy muttered.

“I forgive you as well. Come on, let’s get off the floor now.” He helped Aoi up to his feet and sighed. “Now what? I mean, I’m here and my sisters are probably just now getting comfortable. I don’t think they want to leave any time soon.”

“We could go play some video games.”

“That sounds good.” Kouyou laughed. They walked up the nearby stairs and head to Aoi’s room. The magenta boy pulled out two bean bag chairs and placed them in front of the tv.

“I can leaned you some clothes if you don’t want to wear that anymore.”

“What about your parents?”

“They won’t be home until probably tomorrow. Here, I’ll just grab you some.” He ran to his dresser and pulled out a pair of grey sleeping pants and a baggy black shirt. He handed them over. “Bathroom is the next door to the left.”

Kouyou shook his head and walked out with Aoi watching him. The magenta boy quickly pulled out a game system, the controllers, and hooked it up. Then he pulled out a few games before waiting for the other to return. The brunette didn’t take too long. He hated wearing those clothes anyways, so he was happy to get out of them and into something more comfortable. After he changed, he had walked in to see Aoi waiting on him. “What game are we playing?”

“I don’t care. I have a few racing games, fighting games…um actually I think those are the only ones that I have that are two player. Um…”

“Do you have Mario Kart?”

“Yeah. You want to play it?”

“That sounds fine.” Kouyou sat on one of the bags as the other put the game in and then sat down himself. They both picked up a controller and waited for it to start up. The brunette stared at the screen as the characters popped up. They both darted to get Mario, but Aoi was faster and got him. He smiled at Kouyou who huffed.

“You could be princess Peach.”

The brunette glared at him before picking Wario. He smiled before they picked their secondary characters, then they picked a random track. They watched the red lights go down to yellow, then green and then they sped off. The only sound between them were the clacking of their controllers as they moved their drivers around and laid traps on the road. Aoi glanced over at the other to find his face relaxed, but it looked like he had a slight smile. The magenta teen looked closer at this lips. Those luscious plumps that tightened slowly into a bigger grin. Aoi’s face suddenly grew bright red when he remember the first time they were together in the tool shed at school. Those plumped lips were once wrapped around his member, giving him the best blowjob of his life. Kouyou hummed, his smiled disappeared and he looked over.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?” Aoi blinked a few times.

“You crashed and you haven’t moved for the past lap.”

He looked up at the screen to find it paused. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Um…” ‘Oh shit.’ He thought. ‘I don’t want him getting pissed off at me again’ “that your name…Uruha. I really like it. It really suits you.”

He looked away with a sad face. “Oh.”

“Why are you upset?”

“Uruha is a girl dating you to get your parents off your back.”

“No. Uruha is my friend helping me with an absurd request. Uruha is a beautiful man with a beautiful heart. Uruha is someone everyone should be friends with because he’s such a good person, but they’re to blind to see him. Uruha is Kouyou and Kouyou is Uruha. They’re the same person inside and out. They’re the same man trying to give his sister everything they need and want.”

“Wait…what?”

“You can be Kouyou or Uruha, it doesn’t matter because you are you. No matter which name you’re called by. If you haven’t noticed though, everyone in our group goes by a nickname. You’re the only one who doesn’t have one yet. So why not go with Uruha? Unless you don’t like it of course.”

Kouyou laughed a bit. “Were you really thinking that hard about it?”

“Kind of.” Aoi blushed a bit.

“Okay then. Uruha…sounds catchy.”

“Only your friends are allowed to call you that.”

Kouyou smiled. “I like that. Friends calling me something different than those who sleep with me. Oh man, I sound like a whore.”

“You don’t.” Aoi said smiling. “Don’t ever call yourself that.”

The brunette smiled. “You know. You were the first person who was ever nice to me, other than Hiroto, but he left my side for his own selfishness. My mom…my mom had been a druggy for as long as I can remember. She was always gone, she always left me alone, even when I was baby. My father was a drug dealer she banged one time. I was her first accident. I never met him. Years later, she got pregnant again, had Satomi, then she was back looking for drugs. I had to take care of my sister when I was five years old. Things were manageable then, but my mom got pregnant with Mayu when I was nine and that was when things started to get bad. None of us have the same father, but my sisters don’t know that. So I had to take on the father figure and take care of them. Soon after she was born, mom for some reason was having a hard time getting drugs. She kept borrowing money because nobody would have sex with her as much. One day, when I was thirteen, she had convinced this guy to come over and she would pay him with sex. He pitied her because she was practically begging. When they came home, I was doing homework at the table. My sisters were in their room. The man was pissed off that she had kids and wanted to leave, but she begged him to give her the drugs. I was leaving the table to go to my room, when he asked me to stop. Do you know what he said?”

Aoi  was so focused on the story, he practically leaning towards him. “What?”

“He said if my mother gave me to him in her place, he would give more than she asked. That was the first man to rape me. Mother soon realized that I could get her more drugs and started selling me to dealers. I tried to stop her, but she threatened to use my sisters instead. I told her that if she never touched them or sold them, then I wouldn’t fight back. It wasn’t a year later when yakuza broke into our apartment. Mother had borrowed a large deal of money from them, and they wanted to get their payment. She offered me to them. To the three men that were there. I-I couldn’t move the next day. Th-they come every month now. If I don’t have their monthly payment… _everyone who comes to collect gets use me as their toy. There’s usually three to five of them.”_

The other teen was in true shock. ‘How could something like this happen? It doesn’t seem possible.’ He couldn’t say anything he was frozen, until he saw the drops of tears coming from the brunette’s chin. “Kouyou…”

He whimpered _“All I want…is for my sisters to be happy. For them to have the childhood that was taken from me. I don’t want them to ever have a burden like I do. I don’t want them to have to face what I’m facing now.”_

“Uruha.” Aoi said softly as he moved in front of his classmate. “You are so strong and protective. They will never have to, and I’ll help make sure of that. If you ever need any money or help, please just tell me. I want to help you and your sisters.”

“I… _I…”_ The brunette cried as he fell into the other’s body, the pink haired teen gently petted his head and held him close. Kouyou clenched the schooled uniform as he buried his head into Aoi’s chest. He couldn’t help it. The memories…those terrible memories  that he himself brought up were things he never wanted to talk about. So why did he? Why did he talk about them with Aoi? He hasn’t told anyone else, yet he didn’t hesitate to speak up about it to the magenta teen. He gasped for air with shaky breathes as his crying became too hard on his lungs.

Aoi lifted him up and rubbed his face. “Calm down ok. You need to calm down now before you hyperventilate.” He watched as the brunette took long shaky breathes. He carefully pulled Kouyou up to his feet. “Let’s get you some water.”

            Kai and Miyavi were like everyone else when the school day had ended. They had grabbed their things and rushed out of the school like it was on fire. They didn’t know why everyone was like that today, but they figure it was because next week is the start of their vacation. They were holding hands as they headed down the road down towards Kai’s home. As they were walking though, the half blonde had the sudden urge to look behind him. The brunette looked at him weirdly.

“You ok?”

“Yeah, just a strange feeling. It’s nothing.” He said as he started walking again, pulling his lover along. As they were walking up to the house, a shiver shot down Miyavi’s spine. He quickly spun and looked, but found nobody around them.

“Miyavi? What’s wrong?”

He sighed. “I keep thinking someone is watching me.”

Kai gave a worried smile. “It’s ok. You may just be jumpy because of what happened. It’s normal to feel a little paranoid.”

“But what if I’m not and there is someone watching me or us? I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“If there is someone following you, then we’ll call the cops ok.”

“Ok.” They walked a few more feet before they came across the brunette’s home where they froze. A police car was sitting in his driveway. “You work fast.”

“Mom…” He whimpered and pulled away from Miyavi. The half blonde watched as Kai ran up to the door, so he quickly followed. They ran in together into the living room. “Mom!”

“Yutaka.” She said, little surprised. The brunette ran past the two officers and the man in a suit to kneel in front of her.

“Are you ok? Did he hurt you? Did he come back?”

“Shh, it’s ok, Yutaka. I called these officers to help us. They’ll need your statement too, but they’re going to make sure your father never hurts us again.”

He looked up at them and suddenly stood up to bow. “Sorry. I was worried. Thank you for coming.”

“It’s ok. We do need your statement though so we can get this case opened.” The new voice made Kai turn around to face the man in the suit. “I’m Nakajima Yoichi. I’ll be yours and your mother’s lawyer.”

“Hey, I heard you’re good.” Miyavi stated from the other side of the room. “And really fucking expensive.”

“Can we afford it?” Kai asked his mother.

“My sister knows your mother well. She asked me to do this for her. I’ve listened to what you’ve gone through and I’m giving you a big discount.”

The brunette felt his eyes water. “This isn’t a joke right? I’m not dreaming?”He fell to his knees. His mother carefully moved to the floor and hugged him.

“This is real. We’re getting the help we need.”

Miyavi smiled at the scene, even though his lover was crying, he was happy that things were starting to look up for him.

            Reita and Ruki walked to the blonde’s home, hoping to relax a little bit for a change. The past week had been stressful getting ready for the exams, but now that they’re out of the way, the two could breath for one day. They walked up to the door and Reita went to unlock it, but found it already done so. He quickly opened the door to find a huge surprise waiting for him on the couch. A beautiful young woman stood with the biggest smile Ruki has ever seen on a person, but then he looked at Reita’s and saw his just as big.

“Akira!”

“Onee-chan!” He ran in, barely kicking his shoes off before hugging his sister tightly. “I wasn’t expecting you. Why didn’t you call me? I would have cleaned up.”

“Well, I just had the urge to visit, so I headed over. I’ll be here for your break too.”

“Oh.”

“Why do you sound disappointed?”

“Well, Aoi and I were thinking about spending time at his parent’s lake house.”

She sighed with a smile. “You guys won’t be there for the entire month will you?”

“No. Maybe a week.”

“That’s fine.” She said, then noticed the third presence there. “Oh, who is this? I don’t think I’ve met you yet.”

“Oh, this is Matsumoto Takanori. He’s my tutor and a really good friend of mine. He may be shy at first, but he’ll warm up to you. He’s staying here for a while, I hope you don’t mind. Oh, Ruki, this is my sister, Kokoro.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Ruki bowed. “I hope you do not mind me staying here.”

She bowed in return. “Nice to meet you too. It’s fine. I bet you two are starving! Why don’t I make us some dinner.” She said happily as she head to the kitchen. “I knew Aki would have only ramen noodles in here so I bought some real food for us to eat. I’ll be cooking every night while I’m here, so you may gain a few pounds!”

The two boys laughed and walked in to help her if she needed it. She decided to make curry and rice for the night. The boys got her dishes if she needed them, stirred the curry, or anything else she could think of, which wasn’t much. They ended up being sent to the table to wait for her. It didn’t take her long to finish however, she was soon making their plates. She sat them in front of the two, then one at her seat before getting them all some water to drink. They waited for her to sit down before they started eating. Ruki moaned as he filled his mouth.

“This is so much better than what Reita can make.”

“Hey!”The blonde whined, but took another bite and pouted. “It’s not fair that I can’t cook.”

They laughed at his pout, but continued to eat. Kokoro hummed as she sat her spoon down. “Dad called me said you haven’t been talking to him.”

Reita slowed his eating and looked down at his food. “So?”

“He’s worried Aki. You need to talk to him. At least tell him if you need any more medicine or not.”His eyes grew wide and he froze. “He thinks that you’re not taking it and that’s why you don’t want to talk to him.”

“Please stop.” He whimpered.

“Akira. Are you not taking it?”

“Stop it! Just shut up, ok?”He yelped. He looked up at Ruki, who was looking between them confusingly.

“Answer me Akira. If you’re not taking your meds then you can be in serious trouble. So can dad.”

“Medicine?” Ruki asked. “Reita…what’s wrong?”

The blonde started rocking in his seat and was breathing hard. “I’m not crazy ok. I just have few problems. I’m not crazy! I swear Ruki!” He looked up with wide, teary eyes and it shocked the chestnut.

“Rei…”

“Don’t look at me like that!” He yelled, knocking his plate off the table. “I’m not crazy, damn it!”

“Akira, you need to calm down ok.” His sister said as she stood up and grabbed his shoulders. “You’re scaring your friend.”

He gasped and looked up at Ruki, who had been frozen in his spot the whole time. He was unable to think. This scene in front of him was so shocking, but it wasn’t him freaking out that surprised him, it was the fact that Reita was crying. The blonde gripped his hair. “I’m not crazy! Ruki please believe me! I’m not!”

“Akira please, stop this.” Kokoro begged. “Let’s go upstairs ok. You need to take your medicine before you get out of control.”

The shook his head no, but she kept pulling him, trying to get him to follow her. Ruki stood up and carefully walked in front of him, where he kneeled. “Rei…Reita listen to me. You need to calm down ok. Your sister is very worried about you. So am I. Please, calm down and do what she asks. You’re getting way too upset ok?”

“I’m not crazy.”

“I know you’re not.”

“Really?” The blonde whimpered.

“Really. You’re sister is very worried. Would you take you medicine her and for me? I’m not going to judge you or anything. I’m still your friend no matter what. Even if you were psychopath, I’d still be your friend because you’ve always been nice to me.”

Reita sniffled and shook his head, finally complying with them. They walked him upstairs to his bedroom. Kokoro had grabbed his water and sat it on the nightstand as Ruki stayed at the door. Reita had sat down on his bed as his sister opened the nightstand to pull out a pill counter. She opened the date and dumped the small pills into her hand before handing them to her brother. He sniffled before he took them and chugged them down with water. He laid down on his bed as she sat next to him, rubbing his head. It didn’t take long for his eyes to shut and for sleep to take over. Kokoro stood from her spot and turned the light off, but another light source caught her attention. On the other side of the room was a makeshift incubator  with six eggs in it. She raised a brow, but headed out and closed the door behind her. They went back down where they both worked to clean up the mess on the floor that Reita had made. The plate had broke into about thirteen pieces, so they were careful when picking it up. After that was done, they sat back down at the table to try and eat, but it wasn’t going so well.

“Why did he suddenly act like that?”Ruki asked.

“Did he tell you that he was taking medicine?”

“No. I had no idea.”

“It was my fault then. He’s ashamed and he thinks if people know, they won’t be his friend.”

“May I ask…what’s wrong with him?”

Kokoro sighed as she leaned back in her chair. “I don’t know if it’s my place to say. Seeing as you’re pretty close to him, you’ll find out soon anyways. By the way, I’ve never seen anyone calm him down so quickly.”

Ruki had a bit of pink in his cheeks, but he ignored it. “So…”

“It’s because of my mother.”

“What did she do to him?”

“She didn’t do anything.” Kokoro closed her eyes for a moment before looking at the younger teen. “It’s what happened to her. When Akira was nine, he watched as she was raped and murdered.”


	18. Chapter 18

            “What?” Ruki gasped.

The brunette looked down at her plate before taking a deep breath. “Nine years ago, when he was nine, he witnessed the rape and murder of my mother, then he was almost killed himself. That’s why he’s so fucked up in the head. He has to take medicine for PTSD. Do you know what that is?”

“No.”

“Post traumatic stress disorder. He has to take medicine to control panic attacks, his anger, needs sleeping pills because his nightmares are so bad. He even went through a phase of depression a little while back.”

The chestnut looked down. “How can something so terrible happen to him? He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”

“Things happen.” She whimpered. “I’m lucky that I wasn’t there too. We’re lucky that Akira actually lived.”

“Where were you? Where was his father? Why didn’t anybody help him?” Ruki whispered.

“That day…my father was on the other side of the country working.  I was…at a friend’s sleepover when it all happened.”

            _“Mom! Can I please go?” A fourteen year old Kokoro begged. They were in the kitchen, making a snack. “All my friends are going to be there. I’ll be left out.”_

_“Kokoro, I told you no. I have a meeting tomorrow morning and I need you to watch him for me.”_

_“Mom!” She whined. “Can’t you take him with you?”_

_“No, I can’t.”_

_“I’m not a baby.” A young nine year old grumbled as he walked in. “I can look after myself for a few hours.”_

_Their mother sighed. “Akira, it would not be responsible for me to leave you here alone.”_

_“Can’t you take me to work with you then? You promised you would take me this week.”_

_She sighed with a smile. “Fine. Kokoro, ask them to pick you up then.”_

_“Yay!” the young girl yelped and ran out to call her friend. Her mother smiled before handing Akira half a peanut butter sandwich._

_“You have to promise me that you’ll behave tomorrow ok?”_

_The young boy smiled and shook his head. “I promise. What’s for supper tonight?”_

_His mother laughed. “How about…grilled cheese?”_

_“That’s sounds yummy.”_

_Later that night, the two of them were enjoying grilled cheese and tomato soup. Kokoro had been picked ten minutes after she had called her friend, leaving the two of them to enjoy the evening alone. They watched a movie together just before Akira helped his mother make dinner. She allowed him to flip the sandwiches over, then place them on the plates. Akira was having so much fun spending time with his mother. It was rare for them to be alone, so he was taking full advantage of it. He talked about joining the football or basketball team at school if it was alright with her. She spoke of how wonderful it would be to watch him lead his team to victory in all his games. She would make sure to tell him how proud she was and attend every game. He was so happy to hear that from his mother and he became excited to try out. They had talked all through dinner and were now sitting on the couch, watching cartoons. His head was on her lap as she rubbed it. It was getting close to his bedtime when someone had knocked on the door._

_“Who could that be?” She muttered as she moved her son to the side. He groaned and sat up to watch his mother walk to the door. She unlocked it and opened it slightly, only for someone to push it open, making her fall to the floor._

_“Mom!” Akira yelped. Three men wearing all black ran in and closed the door. Their faces were forever engraved in his mind. One had a really boney structure that made his face look evil, his hair was an odd brown color that matched his eyes, and his skin was pale white. It was as if he was looking at death himself. The second had a round face, he looked quite chubby, his hair was short and black, his eyes smaller than usual. The third man was taller than them, he had a beard, thick eye brows, a square face and dark skin. His mother  tried to get to her feet, but the boney man kicked her and climbed on top of her. “Mommy!”_

_“Run Akira!”_

_Before he could do so, one of the others had grabbed him and started trying him up. They shoved some cloths in their mouths so they couldn’t scream as loud. The young boy was thrown to the side as the three men gathered around his mother and started ripping her clothes off. He tugged at the ropes and screamed, but nothing worked as he was forced to watch them take turns with her body. He tried getting to his feet, but he kept falling over, next he tried rolling, but that only cause one of the men kick him in the stomach. He was so scared. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know what they were doing to his mother, but he did know they were hurting her. He knew she shouldn’t have been naked, their pants shouldn’t have been down, he knew it wasn’t right. He cried as he watched it all happen until the very end._

_They finally threw her to the side as they pulled their pants up. She was crying and crawling to her son. Strange sharp sounds filled the air as they shot her in the back. Akira screamed as his mother cried out in front of him. The man with the beard walked over and pulled the young boy to his knees. He saw the bullet holes on his mother’s back and he looked up to see the bony guy holding a gun with a silencer. He cried, but his mother slower rose up, making sure to keep herself covered. She slid closer to him and smiled._

_“I-I lov—”Another sharp sound went off. Akira’s eyes grew wide as blood splattered across his face and the hole in his mother’s head gushed out the red liquid. Her body fell to the side right in front of him. He screamed and tried to get out of his bounds again, but then he was struck upside the head. He opened his eyes to see his mother’s opened and staring straight at him. He gasped and looked up only to find the gun pointing at him. He saw the man’s finger squeeze the trigger, so he shut his eyes, but all he heard was a string of curse words._

_“What happened?” The chubby man asked._

_“The fucking thing jammed.” The boney man  grunted as he tugged at the chamber of the gun. “It’s not coming out. Damn it. It’s stuck.”_

_“It’s just a kid anyways. He won’t remember.”_

_“No. I’ll make sure of that.” The boney man raised the gun and slammed it down onto Akira’s head, knocking him out._

            Kokoro  rubbed the glass of tea Ruki had made her. “I was gone all weekend. Sunday night, I tried calling over and over, but when nobody answered we got worried. My friend’s mother drove me home and walked up to the door with me. I twisted the knob and opened it, but before I could even take a look, she had slammed the door and ordered me back to her car. While I waited, she had called somebody. Police cars and an ambulance filled the yard not ten minutes later. They rushed in to find Akira still alive, but not by much. He had laid there, staring at her dead body for hours, his head still bleeding.”

Ruki kept silent the whole time. He didn’t know what to say, hell, he didn’t know how to react. He’d never thought that something like this happened to Reita. “How badly was he hurt?”

She sighed. “Skull fracture. He had no brain damage other than the trauma it caused him. He stopped smiling after that. He had so many panic attacks, so many terrible nightmares that he woke up screaming his lungs out. We took him to a psychologist, but she sent my brother to a mental hospital. He was there for…almost two years. They finally deemed him safe to release. He was a little better, not much. He was taking medicine to keep him asleep and antidepressants. When he was fourteen… he saw a man that looked like one of his attackers. We were at the store when Akira had a flashback and tackled the man to the floor. He started beating him with all he could. It took my father and three other men to pull him off. He got sent back to the hospital for another year because of that.”

“What happened to the guys that murdered her? Did they get caught?”

“No.” She sighed. “The police couldn’t find enough evidence. Akira’s statement wasn’t good because he was knocked out.”

“So those bastards are walking free.” 

“Most likely.”

“It’s not fair.” Ruki mumbled.

“I know.” She sighed. “After that year, he finally got on more medication. To calm him down, lower his chances of panic attacks and some for his anger. About two months later, Aoi moved here and they became friends. Aoi loved sports and got Akira to play. My brother started smiling again soon after. Sports became his distraction.”

“Aoi told me that he got sent to the hospital again for beating up one of your ex-boyfriends. Is that true?”

“Yes. Akira had secretly stopped taking his medicine at the time because he felt crazy. He hasn’t done that since it happened.”

“Who hit you...”

“Kenji was his name. He and I started dating when Akira was in the hospital the last time. It was nice, a normal relationship, but then we started fighting. Fights got worse and stupider. I found out he was violent when he was angry. The first time he hit me, I thought it was an accident because I had walked up behind him and he swung around too fast to stop his arm from hitting my side. I stopped fighting with him and then hid that from my family. Two days later, he hit me on purpose, thinking I would be too scared to do anything. I left him that time. Akira wasn’t supposed to know about it yet, but he walked in when I was explaining things to my father. I’m guessing you know the rest.”

“Yes. Aoi told me about it. Um…could I ask you one more question?” He mumbled.

“Sure.”

“Because of this…did it effect his reading?”

“Yes. He had a hard time learning because he had to do it in the hospital.”

Ruki never felt so low. He always blamed Akira himself for not being able to read or study, but really it was because the teen was too traumatized to learn anything. “I am…so sorry.”

She smiled as she blinked away tears. “It’s not your fault.” She sniffled for a moment as it got silent. She looked at the clock and sighed. “It’s getting late. Why don’t we head to bed?”

“I’m going to check on Rei first.” The chestnut stood from his chair and walked up to the bedroom. The dim light in the room was enough for him to see Reita laying peacefully on the bed. He walked closer and pulled the blankets out from under him, to cover him up a bit. Ruki gently rubbed the blonde’s cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

            Uruha was standing in the kitchen of Aoi’s home as the magenta boy was digging in the fridge. He finally stood up with two bottles of water. The brunette sniffled as he took the liquid and quickly started drinking it. He pulled the half emptied bottled away and wiped his raw cheeks of tears.

“Are you feeling better?”Aoi asking, sipping his water.

“Yes. Thank you.” His classmate said quietly. “I feel so drained though.”

“Come on.” The pink haired teen waved and started walking again. They headed back up to his room and sat down on the bed.  Uruha sighed as fell over onto his side and brought his legs up.  “You can stay the night if you want. We have plenty of rooms.”

The brunette breathed out and mumbled. “That’s sounds…nice.”

“Yeah. You know…next week, me and Reita plan on going to my parents’ lake house for a week or two. Kai, Miyavi and Ruki are most liking coming too. You and your sisters are also invited. I guess…Hiroto can come too…if he can. It’ll be good for all of us. A place to get away, have some peace for a little while.”

Uruha’s heavy eyes opened and closed for a few minutes. “That…sounds nice. I’d like that. Satomi and Mayu will like it too.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yeah. We’ll go. I’ll ask Hiroto tomorrow.”

Aoi glared at the door, but quickly relaxed his face. “Ok. Well, for now I’ll have Kaoru get some rooms…”He stopped when he noticed that the brunette was fast asleep. “…ready.” He smiled softly as he slowly stood up and carefully pulled the blankets out from beneath his classmate. He covered Uruha up before turning the light off and slipping out of the room.

            _Kokoro looked up at her father as they walked down the white busy corridors. “I’m happy we’re finally getting to see him. Why did it take so long?”_

_“The doctor didn’t say it was ok until now. He wanted Akira a little bit better before we saw him.”_

_The young teen shook her head and pulled out her camera. “He’s going to so surprised to see us.”_

_They walked to a door and opened it up. Kokoro laughed as she took a picture, hoping to get her brother’s shocked expression, but instead she got his sad face as he looked out the window. Her eyes grew wide, but her father patted her head as he walked closer._

_“Akira?” He spoke, but the young boy made no motion to respond. “Akira, it’s me, your dad. Your sister, Kokoro, is here too.”_

_The nine year old remained silent. His sister walked closer. “Why isn’t he talking?”_

_“He’s just a little sick. He’ll be better soon, don’t worry.”_

_She climbed on the bed and sat in front of him. “Did you hear that? You’ll be good as new real soon.”_

_Akira finally turned his head and looked at his sister. “Why? Mommy?”_

_“Akira?”_

_“Where’s mommy? What happened to my mom!” He screamed. Tears started streaming down his face as he gripped his head and started hitting it against the window._

_“Stop it Akira!” His father grabbed him, but he could barely hang on to him. “Help!”_

_Kokoro was pulled off the bed as her father was pushed away and replaced by three brutes to hold him down. They pushed him on his back as he kicked his legs, trying to get them off. “No! Don’ hurt my mother! Stop hurting her!”_

_A nurse finally walked in with a syringe and stuck him in the neck. They watched as Akira slowly calmed down and passed out. They quickly strapped his arms and legs down to the bed and forced his family out of the room._

            Kokoro woke up in her bed as her alarm clock went off. She sighed as she rose from her bed and rubbed her eyes. She really didn’t want to think of the past right now. She got out of bed and out of her room to head down to the kitchen. She made it down to the living room to find their guest sleeping quietly on the couch. She stepped softly to the kitchen and started to set out dishes for breakfast. She set out eggs, bacon and sausage. She grabbed a pan from beneath the oven  and raised up only to jump when she saw Ruki standing in the doorway.

“Oh, you scared me.” She gasped, rubbing her chest.

He tried not to laugh. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok. I’m making breakfast…um…could you wake Akira up?”

“Sure.” The chestnut nodded. He walked out and headed up to the bedroom. He slowly opened the door to show the dim room. He moved the form on the bed and sat beside it. He hovered his hand over the blonde’s head.

“Is it time to get up already?”

Ruki flinched, but took a deep breath. “Yeah. It’s time to wake up. Your sister is cooking.”

Reita slowly sat up and stretched his arms out. He looked at his friend to see him with a sad expression, but the chestnut looked down. He had a strange sensation run through his body. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

“What? No!” The younger yelped. “I don’t.”

“Then why aren’t looking at me? Why do you seem sad?”

The chestnut sighed and smiled at Reita. “I don’t think you’re crazy. It’s just…”

“She told you, didn’t she?”

“Yeah. She told me what happened.”

Reita sighed. “It was only a matter of time before you knew.”

“I don’t think any differently of you. You’re still the great friend I know.”

The blonde slowly leaned over and laid his head on Ruki’s shoulder. The chestnut was surprised at first, but petted his friend’s head. “Ru?”

“Yeah?”

“We’re going to Aoi’s lake house next week for the break. Would you come too?”

“I…”Ruki mumbled. “It sounds like fun…but my father…I have to get permission from him.”

“Really? He practically kicked you out.”

“He’s still my parent. I have to tell him where I’ll be at.”

“Hey.” Kokoro walked in, making Reita raise up from his friend. “Food’s done. You better hurry and eat. You’ll have to leave for school soon.”

“We’ll be down in a minute.” The blonde said. She smiled and shook her head before leaving the room. “Ruki. Please come with us.”

The chestnut sighed. “Let me talk to my dad first ok. I’ll do it after school.”

Reita smiled and nodded his head. “You won’t tell anyone about my past will you?”

“Of course not.” Ruki gripped his friend’s hands and looked him in the eyes. “I would never do such a thing.”

“Aoi’s is the only other person who knows about it. Kai…I want to tell him, but he has so much going on right now. I don’t know how he’ll react or anything. I want to tell him soon though.”

“He’s patient. He’ll understand.” The chestnut smiled. “Now, why don’t we go and have some delicious breakfast?”

“Sounds good.”

            In the Shiroyama household, Kaoru was walking down the hallway from the bathroom. He slipped back into his room to comb his hair and he would be ready for the day. He walked to the vanity and opened the drawer. Inside was his comb and two pictures underneath. He looked at them with sad eyes before picking the top one up. It was of a woman with hair that was the color of raven feathers, it was long and wavy. Her sharp brown eyes were lightened by some makeup, her plumped lips were slightly darker with the red lipstick she had on that day. In her arms, she held a three month old baby with the darkest of hair, wrapped in a white blanket. Next to her was her husband, taller with brown hair. His face had started developing wrinkles, but they showed how happy he was. His square jaw, goatee, and small lips reminded Kaoru of himself. He looked down at the second picture of the small child, but when he was three and walking. The boy was smiling, holding a vanilla ice cream cone in one hand and a balloon in the other. The butler sighed with a smile.

“Nii-chan, I wonder if you can see how much your boy has grown. He’s becoming more and more like you every day. I just hope he comes to smile just as much.” The brunette frowned. “I miss you. I want to tell him so badly, but the Shiroyamas, they don’t want him to know yet. Oh, what should I do?”

When he got no answer, he placed the photo back inside and closed the drawer. He then proceeded to comb his hair. Afterwards, he left the room and headed down to Aoi’s room where he opened the door to enter. He switched the light on, making the teen under the covers stir. He grabbed some clothing out of the closet and sat it on the dresser, then grabbed some to take to another room. After that, he walked over and gently shook the guest’s shoulder. “Hmm?”

“It’s time to wake up. I have sat some clothes out for you. I’m going to wake the young idiot, after you’ve dressed, we’ll head down for breakfast.”

Uruha rubbed his eyes as he slowly sat up and mumbled. “Thank you. What about his parents? They can’t see me like this.”

“Don’t worry. They’re both out of town until this afternoon. It’ll just be the two of you. I shall wake your sisters and have them ready, then to school on time. Now up.” The brunette shook his head and quickly got out of bed. He walked over to the clothes and grabbed them as Kaoru headed to the door. “The bathroom is next door. I’ve set out a new toothbrush and hairbrush for you to use as well. I’ll be back shortly to bring you downstairs.”

Uruha watched as the door shut, then proceeded to remove the borrowed clothes he was in to put on more borrowed clothes. He buttoned up the white shirt, but he suddenly started staring at the sleeves. His face slowly grew red at the thought of wearing Aoi’s shirt. He quickly shook his head and buttoned the last one. He slipped into the pants, then grabbed the jacket and stared at it again. He brought up to his face and sniffed it, finding the magenta boy’s scent all over it.

“Of course it smells like him. It’s his.” He muttered. His face grew warm as he took a deep breathe again. He sighed and looked in the mirror as he gripped his chest. “Why is my heart beating so fast?”

He tossed the jacket on the bed and rushed out and into the bathroom to find the mentioned items on the white sink counter. He grabbed the toothbrush and the toothpaste to the side and start cleaning his teeth. He scrubbed them hard, trying to get his mind off strange things. His mouth was soon filled with foam and spit, but he kept scrubbing.

“Oh.”

The brunette turned to find Aoi standing at the door, shirtless, holding his school clothes in one hand. “hmm?”

“I didn’t know you were in here. My bad.” He smiled. “Uh, you’re getting toothpaste on the shirt.”

Uruha coughed and leaned over to spit it out. He quickly rinsed his mouth out and off, then looked down at the bluish green stain that had formed on left of his chest. “Sorry. I got it on your shirt.” He tried wiping it with his hand, but it was useless.

“Oh. Let’s try this.”Aoi grabbed a rag from underneath and soaked it with water before rubbing it on the spot. The brunette blushed a deep red and he watched the other do so. The magenta teen kissed his teeth when he realized he was only making it worse. He threw the rag to the side and started unbuttoning the shirt. “I’ll just give this one and I’ll grab another one.”

The brunette was finding it hard to breath as the shirt was slowly removed. His eyes traveled down only to catch sight of Aoi’s torso. He could see a four pack forming into a six pack, strong looking pectorals, strong biceps, nice veins in his arms, even brown nipples, smooth looking skin. He swallowed hard. He really wanted to put his body against his classmate’s and lay on top of him. He felt the other shirt being pressed against his arm. He looked up at to find the other staring at the wall to the right.“Aoi?”

“Sorry, for making you feel uncomfortable. I’ll leave now.” He mumbled, pushing the shirt on to the brunette. Uruha watched as he left the room in a rush. He looked at the mirror above the sink to find his entire face blood red. He sighed and brought the shirt up to his nose to take in the scent again. Aoi’s scent.

            Kai woke up an hour before his alarm clock was set to go off. He took a deep breath, only to find his chest heavy. He looked down to find Miyavi laying on top of him, his head on the brunette’s shoulder, then he looked back and squeezed his hand to find Miyavi still holding it. He could feel the other’s legs wrapped around his own, and the warm breath on his skin through the shirt. He sighed. They were just laying in bed last night, sleeping, but Kai had a nightmare about his father trying to kill him again. It was a horrid dream. There was blood everywhere, his father had been stabbing him in the stomach over and over. He remembered hearing Miyavi’s voice then he realized that he was screaming. When he woke up, he was looking at his lover’s face, then found his mother sitting next to him with tears in her eyes. It took him a moment to realize that it was a dream. He said it was alright and sent his mother off to go to bed, but then explained the dream to the half blonde. Miyavi ended up laying on him, hugging him, holding his hand and cuddling against him. Kai smiled again as the words ran through his mind what was said only a few hours ago.

_“He’ll never hurt you. I’ll protect you remember? He’ll have to go through me to get you and we both know that won’t happen. I’ll be your armor, but you have to let me rest on you sometimes, like now. So I can protect you in your sleep too.”_

The brunette placed a gentle kiss on the top of Miyavi’s head before shutting his eye to get some more rest.


	19. Chapter 19

            Ruki was sketching in his moleskin as he listened to the sound of the basketball bouncing on the court. He occasionally looked up to see Reita smiling as he dribbled the ball just before a shot. He went back to his picture. He was drawing another portrait of Reita today. It was his third one since he’s had the new book. For some reason, He couldn’t get himself to draw anything else. However, he was making sure to draw the other teen smiling. He didn’t want to see Reita sad anymore. He didn’t even want to think about it.

“Hey Ru.”

The chestnut looked up to see the mentioned teen smiling at him. “What?”

“Would you play with me?”

“Rei—”

“Please?” the blonde had a bit of a pout on his face. The younger teen sighed and closed his book with a smile.

“Ok.” He sat his stuff to the side and walked down to join Reita on the court. The athlete bounced the ball to Ruki then walked to the middle of the court. The chestnut followed him as he bounced the ball. “So what do I do?”

“First you need to change.” Reita said as he pointed at the locker room. Ruki rolled his eyes, yet he went to the back to his locker. He put in the combination, grabbed his gym clothes and started undressing. It was weird getting in them so early, but he thought it would be best if he didn’t stink of sweat all day. After he changed, he folded his clothes up neatly then placed them in the locker. He walked out to find his waiting patiently for him.

“Now what?”

“Get the ball in the basket. You have to dribble it while you run and make sure I don’t steal it.”

“Sounds easy enough.” The younger smiled and bounced the ball. He started walking towards the net, but Reita cut in front of him and knocked the globe out of his hand. “Hey!”

The blonde laughed. “Steal it back then.”

Ruki pouted, but smiled as he chased after the athlete. They ran around the court, chasing each other whenever one of them had the ball. Ruki would usually throw blindly at the basket and kept missing, but he didn’t lose his smile. Reita played around him, tossing him the ball, letting go of it on purpose, and allowed him to steal it a few times. The shorter teen stopped with his left arm out as he bounced the ball in his right and Reita up against his back. He could feel the blonde’s breath against his neck, the way he was bent had his butt against Reita crotch, and the athlete’s hands were on his hips. Needless to say, Ruki’s face had formed a darker shade of red and it was not from the exercising. The blonde pressed against him and spoke up.

“Take a shot, I’ll help.” The chestnut felt goose-bumps when Reita slide his hands up the younger’s sides and over his arms. He grabbed Ruki’s hands, placing the left one on the ball as well. “Remember the first time you tried?”

“Yes.” He whispered.

“Do the same thing.” The chestnut’s face heated up as he bent down, pressing his body more on Reita’s. The blonde’s face had a bit of pink on it, but he inched closer to his classmate. “Do it.”

Ruki took a deep breath before he jumped up, extended his arms and pushed the ball into the air. He watched as the ball bounced on the rim and fell into the net as he land back onto his feet. He laughed and turned to pull Reita into a hug. “I did it! I actually made it!”

“I knew you could. Good job.”

The chestnut pulled away with the biggest smile to find his classmate smiling with him. He laughed and ran to the ball to dribble it. Reita ran in front of him with his arm wide open, flinching when the younger made a motion to go in a direction. Ruki pretended to toss the ball to the left, but then started running to the right when the blonde jumped. Reita laughed as he chased after him. “You can’t carry the ball; you have to dribble it goofball.”

Ruki stuck out his tongue. “Who needs rules?”

“Yeah, but I can still get it from you.”

“Oh?”

“I’m faster than you.” The blonde darted right in front of him, making him gasp as he tried to stop, but it was useless. He slammed right into the athlete’s body, then tripped over his left leg and started to fall. He quickly grabbed Reita’s shirt, whom was already thrown off balance, and brought him down too. The ball rolled to the side as they grunted. The blonde was laying flat on top of Ruki, laying between the chestnut’s legs, on his chest, and their heads next to each other. Reita raised up enough to look his friend in the eyes. He used one hand to prop himself up and the other managed to grip the chestnut’s side. Ruki’s face turned red at how close they were, his ears were filled by the beating of his own heart. Reita moved his body up a little to get closer to the younger’s face, but in doing so he pressed his hips harder against the chestnut. The nylon fabric did little to protect their members from each other and the feeling made Ruki moan out a little. Reita breathed heavily as he got closer to his classmate’s face. Their lips grazed ever so gently.

“Whoa.”Their heads jerked up to find Aoi standing in the door way. “Uh…sorry for interrupting.”

Ruki practically threw the athlete to the side and sat up straight. “You weren’t interrupting, what’s there to interrupt?”

Reita groaned as he sat up and rubbed his chin. It seemed to have made contact with the ground at some point. Aoi raised a brow and huffed. “Well, the bell is about to ring. You might want to clean up.”

“Um…thanks.” The athlete mumbled. His friend nodded and quickly excused himself, leaving them alone. Reita looked at the other and blushed at his red face. The blonde looked down, scratching his neck. “We better wash up.”

“Uh…yeah.” Ruki whispered and stood up. He helped his friend, then rushed into the locker room. They both went toward the showers not saying a word. The chestnut started one and Reita started one on the opposite wall, their backs facing each other as they undressed. They both tossed their clothes to the side so they couldn’t get wet, then got under their individual spray of water. Ruki rubbed through his hair and wringed it out a few times. He stood still after that, he was frozen, he felt as if he was being stared at. And he was. Reita was looking over his shoulder at Ruki’s body. The younger’s slim waist, small scars on his back, pale skin, petite legs, thin thighs, a rounded butt, small shoulders and arms. The blonde had never found another male so…attractive. It burned his body. His heart sped up, making blood flow in all the right places at the wrong time. Ruki had stopped moving moments ago, the feeling was getting to him and he finally turned his head to spot the blonde staring straight at him. He blushed at Reita’s toned body. It was thin, all muscle, as if all the fat had been burned away, but he wasn’t repulsively huge. He was Ruki’s size, only a little taller. His body had a few beauty marks here and there, he had hair like every other male, and he had the average body, just a bit more fit. Thinking about these things, their eyes met, their faces couldn’t get redder. Reita unconsciously turned his body, making Ruki’s eyes grow wide. The blonde looked down to find himself extremely hard and quickly turned around.

“Um…I…I…Sorry.” He mumbled.

“I-it happens.” Ruki turned back around. “Hormones…and stuff…we can’t control it sometimes…”

Reita quickly turned off the hot water and turned the cold on full blast. He looked up into the spray, trying everything to cool down. He was so embarrassed. To get hard in front of his friend in the showers at school. He clenched his fists. He never felt so stupid. Little did he know, Ruki had also changed his water to cold to get rid of his unseen erection as he had the same thoughts.

            Aoi was walking to the next building to head to class, but as he was, he spotted a couple against it. Hiroto was placing kisses on Uruha’s neck and whispering in his ear. The brunette giggled and blushed before they kissed. The magenta teen bit his bottom lip. He was happy that Uruha was smiling, but he was pissed that he wasn’t the one making him smile. These emotions that keep popping up when he’s around the other is making him go insane. He shouldn’t be feeling like this about another guy, yet here he is, being filled with jealousy. They hadn’t even known each other for a long time, barely a few months, so how could have a crush on Uruha? He grabbed his head and closed his eyes.

‘Why?’ He thought. ‘Why am I like this? What the hell is wrong with me? He’s just a friend. That’s all, so why?’

Uruha giggled as his lover tickled his neck with feather like kisses. His eyes shot around only to find his friend standing ten feet away holding his head with a scowl. The brunette pushed away and started walking towards Aoi. Hiroto was confused when he was suddenly rejected, but when he saw the magenta teen anger grew in his chest.

“Aoi? Are you ok?” Uruha asked.

The other shot his eyes open and stared in shock. “Uh…yeah, I-I’m fine.”

“You sure? You looked like you were in pain.”

“Just a small headache.”

“Well if it’s nothing, then we should get back.” The blonde said as he gripped his lover’s waist. The two shot glares at each other, but Hiroto smiled. “Don’t you have girlfriend or someone to go to?”

Aoi kissed his teeth as he spun on his heels and rushed away from them. Uruha pulled away from his lover’s grip, but the blonde grabbed his hand. “Aoi!” When he didn’t get a response he glared at Hiroto. “Why did you do that? You made him mad.”

“Who cares?”

“I do! He’s my friend!”

“No he’s not!” The blonde yelled. “He’s just someone else who wants to get in your pants.”

“How dare you.” The brunette pulled away. “He has never made a motion like that. He cares for me.”

“Cares for you?”

“Yes. We’re friends, we care for each other.”

“Sounds more than just friends.” Hiroto huffed.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. There’s more to that deal isn’t there?”

“No!” Uruha whimpered.

“Well you two sure do act like it. Like fucking….Romeo and Juliet.”

“Romeo and Juliet weren’t allowed to see each other because of their families, but they did. And they killed themselves in the end. How…is that story even relevant?”

“I don’t know. You two are acting like some tragic love story.”

“What? How?”

“Oh my god.” Hiroto groaned. “He fucking likes you! You like him!”

“I do not!”

“I see it in your eyes.”

“This isn’t some love story.” Uruha groaned. “This is real life. You can’t see shit. So stop being jealous of him.”

“He’s the jealous one. He wants to take you from me.”

“If he did, then he would have.”

The blonde bit his lip. “Then what is up with this trip huh?”

“He invited you too. Stop, please just stop. I don’t want to fight over something so stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” Hiroto gasped. He grabbed his lover’s hands. “I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want him or anybody to have you.”

Uruha sighed. “When you asked me out, do you remember what I said?”

“Yeah.”

“No you don’t. I said I would try. I never said I loved you, but I hoped I could develop feelings for you.”

“You haven’t?” The blonde looked down, but his lover lifted his head up.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m feeling or for who it’s for. I’m so confused right now.”

“I can’t go with you. I’m visiting my grandparents the whole break. It’ll give us…you, time to think, but could I come over tonight? Please?”

Uruha took a deep breath and smiled. “Sure.”

His lover smiled and pulled him down into soft kiss.

            Kai held onto Miyavi’s hand as they walked up to the table at lunch. When they got there, they just stood with big smiles on their faces. Reita looked around at everyone else before he went back to them and asked. “What’s going on? Are you two getting married?”

“Not yet.” Miyavi laughed, earning an elbow to the stomach.

Kai took a deep breath. “I have great news. Well, to start it off, Miyavi kicked my father out. Literally.”

“He beat me to it?” Reita mumbled.

“Yes. Now for the better news.” The brunette looked at his lover, then back to his friends. “My mom got a restraining order on him. A lawyer is helping us out. She’s divorcing him and having him arrested.”

“That’s great!” Aoi shouted. “It’s about time. I wanted that man to…uh…sorry. I know he’s your dad and all, but...”

“It’s ok.” Kai smiled, but he noticed Reita’s worried look. “What’s wrong?”

They all looked at him. He sighed. “Restraining order. Getting kicked out. _Having_ him arrested. Do you not know where he is?”

His friend’s face dropped. “No, but I have you guys. I have Miyavi and there are police around my house. I’ll be safe. I know it.”

“That’s great.” Ruki smiled. “I’m happy that you’re safe now.”

They all smiled at the sudden realization. Their friend won’t be hurt anymore, he’s no immediate danger either. He’s going to be ok. Finally. Aoi sighed. “Ok. So, are we all going to the lake house?”

“Hiroto can’t make it, but me and my sisters are going.” Uruha said.

“Count us in.” Kai laughed.

“Us too.” Ruki smiled.

The magenta teen looked over at the blonde. “Sorry you can’t come. Maybe next time?”

“We’ll see.” Hiroto mumbled.

“Um, driving arrangements.” Aoi rubbed his hands. “We could either all meet at my place, or I can pick you guys up tomorrow morning and head straight there.”

“You’ll need to pick me up, sorry.” Uruha mumbled.

“It’s ok.”

“Us too please!” Reita shouted.

“If you wouldn’t mind.” Kai giggled, scratching his head.

“That’s fine. I’ll start to pick you all up at ten.”

“In the morning?” Miyavi asked.

“It’s a three hour drive there. So…yeah.”

“Sounds good.” The brunette smiled. “I can’t wait.”

They all smiled and shook their heads in agreement.

            After the final bell rung, everyone ran out screaming and laughing. Their break finally began. Reita and Ruki laughed as they walked out with their friends, said their goodbyes then headed home. On the way though, it got quiet between them. They hadn’t been alone since that morning and it was still slightly awkward between them. Ruki glanced up at the blonde, then straight ahead, then back at him.

He sighed and stopped, catching Reita’s attention. “Let’s forget it ever happened if it’s bothering you so much.”

“Huh?”

“This morning. In the showers. You haven’t talked directly to me since then. I know you’re embarrassed and all, but it happens to all of us. If it bothers you that much, though, just forget it then.”

The blonde’s face had slowly been growing darker. “O-ok. I just…thought you would be mad at me.”

Ruki rolled his eyes, hitting his friend’s forehead and started walking. “It’ll take more than that for me to be mad at you. Now let’s get home. I still have to call my dad.”

His classmate pulled out a cell phone and handed it over. “Here.”

“Uh…not right now…when I can sit down.”

“Why are you so nervous? Just call him, it’s not like he can say no.”

The chestnut took the phone and started dialing his home number. He started chanting for it not to be answered, for it to go to voicemail, but he just wasn’t that lucky.

“Hello?” A man’s voice.

“Uh…hi dad.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going with my friends to a lake house next week. I’m going to be gone the whole time.”

“Uh-huh. What about your studies?” His father’s voice had the same venom, except he seemed to be in a good mood.

“We just had our exams. Teachers didn’t give us any homework or lessons to study.” He could hear his father’s disapproval in his breathing.

“That boy you’re staying with.”

“Suzuki.”

“Bring him over for dinner tonight. I want to meet him.”

“That’s short notice.”

“If you don’t, I will not allow you to go.”

Ruki sighed. “Fine, what time?”

“Five o’clock.” His father said and hung up.

The younger popped his neck as he handed over the phone. “He wants both of us over there for dinner tonight or I can’t go.”

“That’s fine. We have a couple of hours.”

“I think he’s bipolar or something. Or he’s in a really fucking good mood today. So we should be on time, if not earlier.”

“Ok. Then let’s get home and get ready.”

            They entered the blonde’s home shortly after to find his sister, tissues in hand crying on the couch in front of the TV. Before they could ask, she yelled out. “Oh Ren! Stop denying your love for him! He’s about to die and you’re still refusing to accept that you love someone! Just go and kiss him already!”

The two boys looked at each other before they bursted out laughing. She jumped when she heard them and quickly wiped her face as she muted it. “What?” she huffed.

“You…were crying over…over a show.” Reita giggled.

She growled, but smiled. “First kisses are very serious you know. So inexperienced, nervous and awkward, but if they truly love each other, it doesn’t matter. I remember my first kiss. It was truly out of the blue, but so romantic. Takato was so sweet. We were walking around the mall and decided to go the build-a-bear shop. He was helping me stuff my bunny and he just kissed me gently then and there. It was so nice.”

“That’s so weird!” Reita laughed.

“Shut it! It was sweet! I don’t see you being all romantic with your girlfriends.”

“That’s because I don’t have any. Now if you will excuse us, we have to get ready.” He said, heading up the stairs with the chestnut.

“Oh, where are you going?”

“My dad wants us to have dinner over there tonight. Wants to talk about something.” Ruki said softly. “Sorry about it being short notice, I bet you had a great meal planned.”

“I did. Too bad neither of you will get to enjoy it. Your loss.” She sung.

Reita rolled his eyes and started walking back up the stairs. They went into his bedroom and started looking for some nicer clothes than their uniforms to wear. Ruki pulled out a plain black shirt and some blue jeans while the blonde pulled some jeans out and white shirt. The chestnut threw his shirt off, surprising Reita. He wasn’t expecting the younger to start changing in front of him. Though he wasn’t complaining. The pale skin filled his vision, making him blush, so he quickly turned, hoping not to have the same reaction as that morning. He quickly slipped out of his uniform and into the outfit then turned to find his classmate gone. He sighed as he walked out to the bathroom across the hall, but found Ruki wiping his makeup off. It did make sense. He always put his makeup on and styled his hair after he got to school. His father most definitely doesn’t approve of that stuff. Reita stepped in to grab his brush to straighten up his hair a bit. It wasn’t a big bathroom so they were almost touching each other as they got ready. Reita didn’t need a mirror to brush his hair, but he really didn’t want to leave from his spot either, so he stayed there. Ruki wiped the last bit of his makeup and looked to see the blonde still grooming behind him. Either he was counting his brush strokes or he’s in a daze. The chestnut went with the second one. He rubbed the rag over his eyes one last time to make sure he got it all off, when a stinging sensation filled his eye. He hissed and started rubbing it, trying to get whatever is in it, out.

“Let me see.” Reita ordered. The younger looked at him as he sat the brush down and turned to face him. Ruki turned his way and opened his eye up as best as he could. The blonde carefully opened the lids and looked down at the redden orb. Right there in the corner was something thin and black. He gently rubbed his finger on it, making Ruki flinch, but the chestnut tried to stay still. The blonde lifted his finger, his classmate’s eye watered up greatly and blinked. The younger pulled away and rubbed his eye.

“What was it?”

“An eyelash.” Reita said, holding up his finger with the small hair on it. “Make a wish and blow it.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

Ruki rolled his eyes, but took a deep breath and blew. The blonde watched the red lips puckered and move closer to his finger. He could feel the warm air as the eyelash was blown away. He swallowed as he lifted his hand to Ruki’s cheek and leaned down, capturing the plumped lips. It was soft, no tongue, just lips on lips. Reita pulled away slowly to see the faint blush on the chestnut’s warm cheeks. The younger looked straight down. “Why did you do that?”

The blonde’s breath was stuck in his throat. His voice became small and weak. “Sorry…I’m so sorry.”

“Reita you kissed me.”

“I…I was just…I wasn’t thinking ok!” The blonde gasped. His voice shook. “I wasn’t thinking. Just…just forget it ever happened ok! It never happened.”

“How? It just happened two seconds ago.” The athlete groaned as he ran out of the room. Ruki sighed as he ran out as well to the blonde’s bedroom. Reita was walking back and forth hitting his own forehead with his hand, repeating the word ‘stupid’. The chestnut slipped in and grabbed his friend’s hand. “Stop.”

“I’m sorry.” Reita whimpered. “I really am. So please forget it. Please?”

“Ok, ok. I’ll forget it. It never happened.” The blonde shook his head and made his way sit on the bed. Ruki sighed softly before leaving to finish up in the bathroom. He stepped in front of the mirror and looked up at his pink cheeks. He raised his fingers to graze his lips. “How can I forget…such a sweet kiss?”

            Uruha was washing dishes from supper while Hiroto dried them. The brunette was happy that his mother wasn’t home and prayed she wasn’t coming back tonight. After they were done, they walked out to the living room and sat down on the worn out couch. The TV wasn’t working so it was pretty quiet in there. His sisters were in their room, doing their homework. The blonde pulled his lover against him, making Uruha lean on his chest. The brunette couldn’t feel more awkward and pulled away to sit up. Hiroto pouted, but leaned over and kissed him on the cheek then down to his lips. Uruha accepted the kissing and opened his mouth up more to him. His lover pushed against him more, causing him to fall back. He moaned a bit, but the kissing didn’t cease, it got stronger. He felt Hiroto’s hand slipping under his shirt, raising it up, but he pushed away.

“We can’t…my sisters.” He said out of breath.

“They won’t come in here.” The blonde mumbled, kissing his lover’s neck.

“They might.” Uruha said, pushing them both up.

Hiroto sighed. “There has to be somewhere we can get some privacy.”

“Follow me.” The brunette got up and grabbed the other’s hand, leading him into his mother’s room. He closed and locked the door before walking to the bed. Hiroto sat beside him and started kissing him again. He pulled the brunette’s shirt up and off, then attacked his neck. They fell back on the bed as the blonde started kissing down Uruha’s chest. The brunette looked at the ceiling with tears in his eyes.

‘It feels the same. Why does it feel like this? Why do I feel so disgusted? So dirty?’

            Across town, Ruki was taking a deep breath as he grabbed the knob of the door to his house. The blonde next to him patted his back and smiled. The younger gave a small grin as he opened the door and stepped in.

“I’m home!” He called. His mother stepped out from the kitchen and smiled.

“Takanori, I thought you were going be late. Dinner will done in just a few minutes, so go ahead and sit down.”

“Ok. Mom, this is Suzuki Akira.”

“It’s nice to meet you ma’m.” He said bowing.

“Likewise. Now hurry, your father is waiting.”

Ruki nodded and kicked off his shoes. Reita mimicked him and followed him through the living room to the dining room where a older man with a receding hair line sat at the head, next to him was a man a little older than himself. A college student no doubt. They sat on the opposite side of the other teen, Ruki sat by his father, leaving one seat left in front of Reita. They sat nervously as the room remained silent. The blonde decided to be polite and speak up.

“I’m Suzuki Akira. Thanks for inviting me.”

“My son is tutoring you, correct?

“Uh, yes.”

Mr. Matsumoto huffed. “I’m wondering how low your intelligence must be.”

“What?”

“Father!” Ruki snapped.

“Quiet, I’m speaking. As for you Suzuki, you must not be that smart to ask my son for help.”

“Takanori is an extremely smart and hardworking person. He was the right choice and he helped me get my grades back up. He’s the top student in our class. So how can you treat him the way you do?”

“He is my son. I can punish him however I deem fit. Obviously your father doesn’t do much discipline.”

“You don’t know my father.”

“You’re mother is probably the same way.”

Reita’s eyes grew wide, his body filled with anger and he was ready to pounce. His fist had curled up, his legs tensed up, and his arm flinched.

“Akira!” Ruki grabbed his friend’s hand underneath the table. “Not here.”

The athlete gripped his friend’s hand and almost crushed it, but Ruki knew this was him trying to control himself. Reita was staring more than daggers into Mr. Matsumoto’s head, but it was interrupted by Ruki’s mother walking in. “Dinner is ready.”

She placed a plate in front of Reita, then her husband, next was the oldest son and then she sat a plate in front of Ruki. The blonde wasn’t all that surprised to find that his friend had considerably less food than everyone else. Like he was given the scraps. It made him madder. She finally sat down with her own plate across from Ruki. They started eating soon after, but Reita refused to touch his meal. Mr. Matsumoto glared at him.

“Is the food not good enough for you?”

Reita glared back. “How can I eat when my friend has barely a portion on his plate? I certainly couldn’t do it to my own family.”

“He has to earn his meals here.”

“How has he not?”

“His grades are poor.”

“Poor? Whose report card are you looking at because I would kill to have the grades that he has. You should be proud of him for working his ass off for you. But you sit in your chair all high and mighty thinking about ways to punish him.”

“He needs perfect scores to succeed in life.”

“That’s where he got it from. The stress of his whole perfection outlook. You forced it on him. Do you even realize what it’s doing to him?”

“How could a witless kid like you know anything about my son?”

“Witless?”Reita growled.

“Dumb.” Mr. Matsumoto smiled.

“That’s it!” Ruki yelled as he stood up. “It’s one thing to insult me, but don’t you _dare_ insult my friend! I will not allow you to disrespect him like this. He supposed to be a guest, yet you lower yourself just to make me feel bad.”

“How dare you—”

“I will defend my friends no matter what. I don’t care what punishment you threaten me with as long as I can stop you from hurting him. Now we’re obviously not welcomed at this dinner, so we’ll be upstairs until you’re finished so we can have a better discussion.” Ruki said calmly. He grabbed the blonde’s wrist and lead him through the kitchen and upstairs to the right to his bedroom. Once inside, he closed the door and collapsed on his bed. Reita looked around at the empty room. There was no mark here, no sign that showed a teenager or anybody for that matter lived in here. There was no freedom. He looked at his friend who was sitting up on the bed and decided to sit next to him.

“Thank you.” Reita mumbled.

“For what?”

“For standing up for me and for stopping me from punching him. That wouldn’t have been good.”

“Likewise. No one has ever talked about me like that.”

“You’ve earned so much, but it hasn’t been given to you. I mean, your room is so empty. Do they not allow you to put up posters? Anything?”

“No.” Ruki sighed. “Freedom of expression isn’t really welcomed in here. If he finds something that expresses me then he trashes it.”

“You mean tear it up and throw it away?”

“No.” The chestnut walked over to his closet and started digging through it. He walked out with a moleskin like the one he has in his book bag. He handed it over to show the blonde. “Look at it. Those are all my works so far this year.”

Reita opened the book to show a page of a human dressed in light blue blouse, beige skinny jeans, black boots with fur on the rim, and a black flapper hat. He flipped the pages to see many different clothing designs, a lot of them were made for women, but they looked wonderful. However, all the pages had one thing in common. They had all been ripped up and taped back together.

“These are…amazing. What happened though?”

“My father found it. He ripped each page up in front of me and told me to throw it away. I hid it of course and fixed it up. Took me three whole nights, just before I started staying with you. I didn’t think to grab it when I up and left. He tears up everything in front of me and forces me to throw it away myself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok.”

“Do you have a bag and some stuff you can bring with you, like some more clothes? We can hide it inside and take it with us.”

Ruki smiled “Yeah.”

The blonde looked back down to flip the page. “These are really good.”

The chestnut looked at the blonde’s smile, at the red lips stretched out. The soft expression on his face, how gently he was being when he turned the pages, and how he stood up for the chestnut, made his heart pound. He raised his hand to rub Reita’s cheek, making him look up. Ruki took this chance to lean in and kiss the blonde. It was soft and gentle, but he wanted more. He slipped his tongue into the athlete’s mouth, making him moan. Reita placed a hand on Ruki’s left cheek as he kissed back. Their eyes closed, mouths open, tongues fighting, and hearts pounding was all they knew at this point. Their faces were growing red because this was Ruki’s first kiss and Reita felt his body heat up. The chestnut pulled away with a quick breath.

“I don’t want to forget.”He opened his eyes and looked into the blonde’s. Reita smiled as he pressed another kiss on the younger one’s lips. They pulled away and rubbed their foreheads together. “Does this mean…we’re dating?”

“Only if you want it to.”

“I do.” Ruki whimpered.

“Then we are.” Reita whispered, catching the chestnuts’ lips once again.


	20. Chapter 20

            Uruha had been staring at the wall for over an hour. He had woken up in his mother’s bed, his boyfriend laying behind him, holding him. They did it last night. They had sex in a room he hated, with his sisters next door, and he couldn’t even stop his tears, yet Hiroto didn’t seem to care. He didn’t wipe away the tears the brunette shed, he didn’t ask if anything was hurting, he didn’t stop or think about Uruha. He just continued on and fucked him like anybody else. Those salty streams once again fell from his eyes, going over his nose and onto the sheets. Uruha felt like he normally did when he had sex with someone. He felt dirty and wrong. He felt sick to his stomach. He was so confused because they were supposed to be dating, yet, it didn’t feel right at all. Nothing did anymore. He sniffled as he carefully pulled the blonde’s arm off and sat it to the side. He quietly got out of bed and walked out to the bathroom where he shut the door and collapsed by the toilet. He whimpered before leaning over and puking in the porcelain bowl. His bowels burned all the way up until the contents was in his throat and out of his mouth. He spat the last out of his mouth and gasped as he flushed the toilet. He just wanted to sit there and rot away from the world. He wanted to just stare and stare until his eyes were to sore to stay open, but the sound of a door closing caught his attention. He only turned his head slightly before Satomi sat down beside him with a sad smile. His breathing hitched, his face crinkled up and he started crying. He fell into his sister’s embrace and poured out his depression on her shoulder. She sat there rubbing his head softly and rocking his body.

            Across town, Ruki was taking a deep breath as he woke up from his deep sleep. He looked at the milky white chest moving in front of his face. He smiled and snuggled closer into the chest. He and Reita were laying together in bed, Ruki in the blonde’s arms as they laid on their sides. They had returned home soon after Ruki’s father’s meal had been eaten. He didn’t want to talk to his son and told them to leave. The chestnut made sure to grab more of his things and left with Reita. When they had returned the blonde asked his sister to make some dinner for them and explained things while Ruki was upstairs taking a shower. She had no problem with it and left it alone, her brother’s request.  After dinner, they had headed upstairs to just chill, but they ended up falling asleep. Together, in the same bed. Ruki bit his lip with a bigger smile, before he started kissing the blonde’s chest. He found a spot he liked and began sucking on it as his hand roamed the muscled stomach. Reita groaned as he felt something tickling him. He started making his way through his light sleep and opened his eyes. He felt…something going on, on his torso. He looked down to find the chestnut licking and sucking on him.

“Do I taste good?”

Ruki’s face became a light shade of pink as he looked up. “Yes.”

The blonde hummed and tapped his own lips. “I want to taste you too.”

The younger slid his body up and kissed his lover. It was soft and quick, almost innocent…almost. Ruki ran the tip of his tongue against the red thin lips. Reita quickly sat up, shocking the chestnut, but he pulled his tutor up a second later. He gripped the back of Ruki’s neck and pulled him into a more passionate kiss. The chestnut gripped his shoulder and pressed his body against the other’s chest as their tongues collided. Ruki rubbed his hands on the toned chest and slid his right one down to the edge of the blonde’s sleeping pants. Reita’s hand slid down his lover’s back in return and started going into the gray shorts.

“Hey Akira,” Kokoro called as she opened the bedroom door. The couple in bed quickly pulled apart and looked at the shocked sister.

“Kokoro please…” The blonde whimpered.

She smiled. “Why didn’t you tell me you two were dating? I’ve been waiting for you to get a girlfriend, but you found yourself a boy, either way it doesn’t matter. I want you to tell me these things.”

Reita sighed, but smiled. “Sorry. We just started last night and…I didn’t know how you would react with me being …that way.”

“You’re my brother. I’ll accept you no matter what. I swear. Now, you better get ready. If I remember correctly, you said Aoi would be here at ten. You have thirty minutes.”

“We still have to pack.” Ruki yelped and jumped off the bed.

“Please excuse us.” Reita said. His sister smiled as she left the room.

            A few miles away, Kai was humming his favorite tune as he zipped his bag and walked it out to sit out by Miyavi’s bag. He took a deep breath and smiled as he heard his mother sitting plates on the table. He looked at her, to find her actually smiling and looking at him.

“Breakfast is ready. Go get your friend.”

The brunette bobbed his head and headed down the same hallway as his bedroom and to the door on the left, which was the bathroom. He knocked on it. “Miyavi? Food is done.”

“Uh….o-ok hang on.”

“You alright?”Kai asked and opened the door. The half blonde jumped, the look of shock across his face. “What’s going on?”

“N-nothing.” Miyavi smiled. “Come on let’s go eat.”

The taller wrapped his arm around his lover and led him out of the room. He glanced nervously back at the bathroom, but went back to look down at his lover. He slowed down enough to kiss Kai on the forehead, which earned him a smile. They walked to the table and sat down with Ms. Uke to enjoy their breakfast together. They remained silent, but for once it was comfortable. Kai could eat without glaring at someone or waiting for his father to strike one of them. His boyfriend was sitting next to him and they were rubbing their knees against each other. His mother still didn’t know about them yet, he didn’t want to say anything right now. Not when everything was going so good. He didn’t want to risk upsetting his mother. Not yet anyways.

“What time is your friend picking you up?” His mother broke the silence.

“He said he’ll start picking everyone up at ten, so he should be here in a few minutes.”

“Yeah.”Miyavi said.

She smiled. “I want you to have fun ok? Just forget about everything here and relax for a little bit.”

“I will, but I won’t stop worrying about you.” Kai mumbled.

“I’ll be fine. My friend will be staying with me while you’re gone. I want you to enjoy this time away.”

“I’ll keep him preoccupied.” The half blonde stated.

“Thank you.” She said softly just before the door bell rung. “Oh that must be him.”

Kai jumped from his seat and walked to the door to answer it. He opened it up to show a happy Aoi. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” The brunette smiled. “Let me tell my mom bye.”

            Back at Uruha’s apartment, the teen was starting to fall asleep on his sister’s shoulder when there was knocking on the bathroom door. He raised up and rubbed his eyes as his sister stood up. She walked to the door and opened it to show her brother’s boyfriend. The blonde stepped in with a worried face.

“Kouyou, are you ok?” He asked, kneeling beside his boyfriend.

“I’m fine. I’m just… a little tired is all.”

“Ok then…” Hiroto mumbled. “I have to get going. Pack and stuff. I’ll see you when school starts again.”

“Yeah, see you.” Uruha whispered. His boyfriend pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheeks, then moved to kiss his lips, but the brunette turned his head to the side. Hiroto looked everywhere but him before standing back up. He sighed and bobbed his head as he walked out of the bathroom. He quietly slipped on his shoes and grabbed his bag, then opened the door. His eye widen a bit when he saw Aoi about to knock on it and his two other friends behind him.

“Um…” the magenta teen hummed.

“Kouyou,” Hiroto called. “They’re here.” He turned back and walked past them without saying another word.

“Who?” The brunette asked as he stepped out of the bathroom with his sister. Aoi blushed a bit to find the other teen half naked with hickies all over his chest, though a tinge of jealous shot through too. “Oh, shit, I forgot. Satomi, wake up Mayu and get you clothes together. I’m so sorry guys, I slept in and I… um…I still need to pack.”

“Hey it’s ok.” Aoi smiled. “We’ll help you out.”

Uruha smiled. “Thank you. Ah! Sorry for the mess, I haven’t been able to clean up much.”

“You’ve obviously never been to Miyavi’s.” Kai laughed. The half blonde let out forced giggle, which made his boyfriend frown. They grew quiet until a young girl came out with a doll and rubbing her eyes.

She tugged on Uruha’s sleeping pants. “Nii-chan…I’m hungry.”

“Uh…” Her brother’s voice shook, but Aoi kneeled in front of her and smiled. “Hey Mayu-chan.”

“Yuu nii-chan!” She giggled and hugged him. He picked her up and smiled.

“Hey, we have to get you guys packed up first.”

“You’re packing us up? Are bus tickets that expensive?” She made the group laugh.

“No sweetie.” The magenta teen giggled. “We’re packing your clothes to go on our trip. Then we have to pick up two more friends. Do you think you can wait until after we get them before we all grab something to eat?”

“I don’t know.” She hummed. “That seems like a long time.”

“Well, they’ll be at the same place so it’s only one stop. If you do this, I’ll let you choose where we eat. How about that?”

She smiled and shook her head. “I can do that.” He put her down and she started towards her room, but she stopped to look up at her brother. “Nii-chan, are you feeling ok?”

“Yes.”

“Ok.” She mumbled, but walked back to Aoi and waved for him to lean over. He kneeled on front of her and she started whispering in his ear. “He was in the bathroom for a while. I think he’s sick. Make him feel better please?”

He smiled as he pulled away and patted her head. “I will.”

They watched as she smiled again and ran back to her room. Uruha sighed and rubbed his head.

“Are you sure you’re feeling well?” Kai asked.

“I’m fine, uh…I need to get my things together. You can come back if you want.”

They followed him back to the bedroom. Miyavi and his boyfriend looked at each other when they saw the small room. The small bed and pallet on the floor. The girls were stuffing their clothes into a used pink suitcase as their brother walked into the closet. He grabbed a small duffel bag, then a pair of baggy pants that were hanging next to his three school uniforms. He grabbed two plain black shirts next and looked at them with a sad face. Aoi sat next to him and gripped his shoulder.

“What do you need us to do?”

“I’m sorry for troubling you guys.” He mumbled.

“You’re not troubling us.” Kai said with a smile. He was sitting next to Mayu, helping her pick out which toys to take with her. “I’m glad I get to meet your family.”

“Oh, I’ll get your stuff from your bathroom.” Miyavi announced and left before Uruha could stop him.

“I packed extra clothes for you.”Aoi whispered in his ear. “If this is all of them, that’s fine. Go sit and rest. You look really tired.”

The brunette bit his lip. “Thank you.”

            The doorbell rung in the Suzuki residence and Kokoro opened the door to answer it. She smiled when she saw all her brother’s friends standing there. “Hey guys.”

“Kokoro! Akira didn’t tell me you were here.” Aoi said as the two hugged.

“Well, you know Akira, he can’t remember shit sometimes. Come on in. They forgot to pack last night and are currently rushing to get done.”

They laughed and the magenta teen turned to Uruha. “See, you’re not the only one running behind.”

The brunette smiled softly, making Aoi blush. Kai and Miyavi walked past them to let them have their romantic moment. Reita was running down the steps with two bags in his hands and he jumped the last few steps. “Hey. Sorry, we’ll be done in just a sec.” He sat his things down and rushed back up the steps. Aoi shook himself out his stupor and walked in with his friend. They all took a seat on the couch as they waited.

“Kokoro, you know Kai. This is his boyfriend Miyavi and our newest friend Uruha.” The magenta boy pointed to each.

She smiled and bowed. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” The half blonde smiled and Uruha just bobbed his head. “So this is his house. I was expecting something more…sporty.”

“I know right.” Ruki spoke up as he walked off the steps.

“Dad,” Kokoro spoke up. “was never big with having a lot of decorations and stuff like that. He like things plain and simple.”

“Hey nee-san,” Reita called as he came back down. “Don’t forget about the eggs ok.”

“I won’t. Are you all packed up?”

“Yep.”

She smiled and hugged him tightly. “Stay safe, and have fun.”

“Don’t you want to come too?” Aoi asked.

“I don’t want to ruin you boys’ fun by being the only girl.”

“My younger sisters are coming too.” Uruha spoke up. “They’re waiting in the car.”

“I don’t know…nah. I’ll just stay here.”

“Are you sure?” The blonde asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where the lake house is.” Aoi said standing up. “Let’s get going then.”

            They climbed into the black limo as Kaoru place the bags in the trunk. It had three bench seats, one on each side and the back seat. Reita and Ruki sat on the left one, while Kai and Miyavi sat across from them with Satomi. Aoi and Uruha sat in the back seat with Mayu in the middle.

“I can’t believe your dad actually let you borrow this.” Reita laughed. “He wouldn’t do it last year.”

“It’s because there are so many people this time.” Aoi laughed. “Now Mayu-chan, where do you want to eat?”

“Hmm…I don’t know…I’ve never gone out to eat anywhere.”

Her brother looked down, fiddling his fingers, but the magenta teen caught the sad expression on his face.  “Well then, I know a great place about ten minutes from here.” He pushed a button on the side. “Hey Kaoru, could you take us to Chin’s place?”

 “Of course.” The driver answered.

“That’s so cool!” Ruki gasped. “I’ve never been in a limo before. There so many neat things in here. Hey…is there liquor?”

“No, he took it out and replaced it with sodas and water. However, the lake house has plenty and if there’s nothing you like we can have Kaoru buy us some.”

“Sweet!” The chestnut yelped.

“I’ve never been in a limo either.” Miyavi announced.

“I don’t think any of us have other than Aoi and Reita of course.” His boyfriend giggled.

“Hey Mayu,” Uruha spoke up, his sister looked up at him. “Yes?”

“Did you pack enough toys and coloring books?”

“Yep!”

“You didn’t forget your bathing suit did you?” Kai asked.

“I don’t have one.” She said softly.

“Oh…”He said softly. Uruha kept his head down as he bit his lip, but then Aoi patted his back. He looked up at his classmate to find him smiling.

“I’ll get you guys some then. No worries.”

“Yay!” Mayu shouted making them laugh again and even her brother smiled a bit.

They had arrived at the restaurant soon after and got a table inside. They didn’t want to stay there that long, so they ordered small meals that they could eat quickly. However, they forgot they had a nine year old with them. She wanted to color as she ate, so they ordered a kids meal that came with crayons. She got to draw and color on her menu as they waited for food. It was a nice feeling watching her. Then she handed both her brother and Aoi, whom she was sitting in between, a crayon and told them to draw too. They laughed as the two drew stick figures and shapes with her. After Mayu drew herself as a stick figure by her brother’s and Aoi’s stick figure, she handed her crayon to her sister, who was sitting by their brother, so she could draw one too. Satomi smiled as she drew one and gave them both back. Mayu smiled as she drew a heart around the four of them and wrote ‘family’ above it. Uruha smiled as she looked up at him and showed the picture to everyone.

“Hey, what about us?” Miyavi asked. “Aren’t we family too?”

“No. I don’t know you at all.”

“What about me?” Kai asked with a pout.

“Hmm…you can be our pet dog!”

Everyone bursted out laughing, but the brunette smiled. “I’m so honored.”

“Don’t give in to her cuteness.” The half blonde laughed, but he watched as she leaned over and patted his boyfriend’s head.

“What about me and Ru?” Reita asked.

“Hmm…you can be my birdie and Ru ru-chan can be a doggy too. He’ll be puppy-chan’s brother.”

“Ru ru-chan?” The chestnut growled.

“Yep!” She smiled. “Ta-chan can ride on your back all day.”

“Ta-chan?” The blonde mumbled.

“Hey, hey, what about me?” Miyavi asked, pointing at himself.

Mayu hummed. “What’s your name again?”

His head dropped as everyone laughed. “It’s Miyavi!”

“Just call him Miya.” Kai said.

“Mimi-chan!” She giggled.

“Mimi?” The half blonde shouted.

Uruha giggled. “Sorry guys, she has a hard time with names, so she calls you whatever she can think of. She’ll know your names soon though.”

“It’s fine. I think it’s adorable.” Kai laughed.

“That’s because I am, puppy-chan!”

After they had ate, they quickly made it back out to the limo so they could leave. As they started off, Mayu crawled into Aoi’s lap and snuggled against him. Uruha giggled and patted her head. The pink haired teen smiled softly at her.

“Hey Mayu-chan. You see that door on the other side?” He asked. She looked ahead to see a knob on the black suede.

“Yeah.”

“Inside are some toys if you want to play.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

She jumped out of his lap and ran down the aisle to the knob. She opened it up to show dolls, horses, a few dinosaurs, cars, a potato head, and small set of Lego’s. She pulled everything out and started setting them up. As she did, Satomi and Kai sat down to play with her. Uruha smiled over at Aoi.

“Thank you.”

The other teen looked back at him. “You’re welcome.”

“They really like you, you know. They adore Kaoru. They talk about him playing house with them and dolls. Mayu thinks you’re her second brother. You came to help us out so I could have break from my ‘chores’.”

“Chores?”

“We call my work that so she doesn’t know. She’s too young, she wouldn’t understand, but I don’t want her to know at all.”

“I know.” Aoi whispered, gripping the brunette’s hand. “I’m starting to get attached to them.”

“Yeah?”

 Ruki yawned a bit and leaned onto Reita, who wrapped an arm around him. They all looked at them slightly shocked, but with slowly growing smiles. Kai looked between his friends, then at the lovely couple.

“So…Reita…”

“What?”

“Is there something you two want to tell us?” The brunette giggled.

The two looked around to find all eyes on them. Ruki blushed as he sunk lower and the blonde looked away. Aoi smiled as he leaned forward. “Well?”

“None of your business.” The chestnut said sharply.

“Oh, I think it is our business if two of our friends are…well…you know…” The magenta teen sung.

“Ok, we’re dating!” The youngest yelped.

“I knew it!” Kai laughed. “I knew you guys have been dating. You couldn’t hide it forever.”

“Been dating?” Reita mumbled.

“Yeah, the past few weeks with guys getting more…touchy feely. Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we tell each other everything?” Aoi pouted.

“Eh…We just started going out last night.”Ruki stated.

The other’s looked at each other, then back at them. “No way!”

“Don’t lie!” Miyavi spoke up.

“We’re not.” Reita said. “We were going to tell you after we got there.”

“Well, either way, I’m happy.” Kai said.

“Me too.” Aoi said happily.

“Us too.” Ruki sighed, snuggling against his boyfriend. They giggled as they watched the chestnut fall asleep.

            It was two thirty when they finally arrived at the house. It was surrounded by trees, behind it was a large lake with a dock that had a canopy over it. It had benches, a table and  a ladder into the water. The house itself was half brick on the lowers half and the upper half was white wood. The porch was painted to match it, it had a wooden swing on it and two rocking chairs. The group awed as they stepped out of the car.

“There are only five rooms available right now, but one is my parents and they don’t want anybody in there, so we’ll have to share for tonight. Kaoru will have the rooms upstairs ready tomorrow.”

“That’s fine.” Miyavi smiled, pulling his boyfriend closer.

Aoi looked over at Uruha. “You can take my room and I’ll stay on the couch.”

“No…” The brunette mumbled. “this is your place, I’ll sleep in the living room.”

“Why don’t you two just share?” Reita asked.

“Yeah, me and Miyavi shared a bed many times before we started dating.”

“I don’t mind if you’re comfortable with it.” Aoi said.

“Um…”

“It’s not like you’re having sex.” Miyavi laughed. “Last one in gets last in line for dinner.”

They all started running to the door, being the athlete he was, Reita took the lead. Just as he was about to make it to the porch, he looked back to see Aoi right beside him, Kai and Miyavi next to each other, Uruha next and Ruki far behind. He quickly dropped his pace and fell behind the chestnut as they all climbed the stairs.

The blonde smiled as they went through the doorway. “I guess I’m last.”

Ruki was gasping for air, but he smiled softly at the blonde. “Thanks.”

“Follow me.” The athlete smiled as he gripped the shorter teen’s hand. He started pulling the chestnut down the hall which led to the living room. It had a tan leather couch, a coffee table and a flat screen tv. There were flower vases and fake plants on each wall. A set of candles were sitting on each wall along with paintings of fruits, wine glasses, and animals. Straight ahead was a sliding glass door that lead out to the yard. There was a door way to the right, two to the left on either side of the tv.

“The door left of the tv leads into the kitchen. The other two leads to the bedrooms. The one I stayed in is this way.” Reita took him to the left hallway. It had been painted white, the floor was made of wood and polished like the first door on the right. They past it and walked to the end where it turned to the left, where he saw a door right there facing him. Reita opened it up to show a nice small room. About the size of Ruki’s room. It was decorated like the living room except it had queen size bed with mahogany comforter and sheets that were made of satin. The chestnut smiled as he ran in and jumped on the mattress, making the blonde laugh.

            Aoi led Uruha in the same direction as the other two and headed down to the first door on the right. He opened it up to show queen size bed with black covers, there were no paintings or anything like the other rooms. It had a black rug in front of the bed, a small tv on the opposite side, just like in his bedroom at home. He had a couple of bean bags sitting to the side, video game posters on the wall, and pictures of models.

“Feels like your place.”

“Yeah.” Aoi smiled. “Do you like it? I mean to sleep in.”

“It’s fine, thank you.”

“Your sisters are in one of the rooms across the living room. Kaoru is getting them ready first. We’ll head to a store later to get them some bathing suits. And you one too.”

“I-I don’t—”

“There’s a lake. You need one so it’s ok.”

“Aoi…why are you so nice to me?”

“Because you’re my friend.” The magenta said happily. “And I care for you.”

Uruha blushed. “Thank you, for everything.”

“No problem.”

            Kaoru set the girls’ bag down as they continued jumping on the bed. He smiled at them as he walked to their bed. “Do you need anything this moment?”

“Nah… I think…we’re good.” Satomi said with every bounce.

“Well, call me if you do.” He said and left the room. He grabbed two more bags and headed down to the next door and opened it. The two inside were on the bed, hitting each other with pillows. The butler raised a brow. “I see you’re comfortable.”

“Very.” Miyavi laughed, but was hit upside the head and fell back. Kai then jumped onto him.

“I’ve brought you’re bags, call me if you need anything.” He said and walked out. He went into the living room and grabbed the four bags in there. He walked down the hall to the first room and knocked.

“Come in.”

He did as was told and dropped the bags inside. “Is that all for now?”

Aoi hummed. “Yeah. Later, if we’re up to it, we’ll head into town.”

“Yes. I also need to buy food and supplies as well.”

“Sounds good.” Uruha smiled. “Thank you very much.”

“Sure. Excuse me.” He then head to the final room and went through the door. He saw the two occupants sitting the bed gently kissing each other. “Ahm.”

They jumped when they saw him. Ruki straightened up. “What?”

“Your bags.” He said sitting down the items. “I’ll leave you alone now.”

After he left, Reita went over to them and brought them to the bed. He opened his up and started going through it. The chestnut looked at him. “What?”

“um…nothing…” He said pulling his clothes out.

“You wouldn’t be digging if it was nothing. What’s wrong?” The blonde ignored him and started breathing hard as he gripped the bag and dumped it out. He shook through his clothes and objects. Ruki grabbed his lover’s shoulder, stopping him. “Reita?”

“I forgot it.” He whimpered. “Oh god, how could I forget it? Wh-what am I going to do?”

“Reita, what did you forget?”

“My medicine.” He gripped his hair. “I have to go back, I have to ….”

“Rei…” Ruki rubbed the blonde’s cheeks. “it’s ok. I’m here. I won’t let you panic or anything. I’ll keep your nightmares away, I’ve done it once before. Remember? When I first rubbed your head. I took the dreams away, they only came back because we weren’t touching. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

“But my panic attacks…my…I …”

“It’s ok. I here for you. If it makes you feel better, call your sister. Tell her to bring them to you and come hang out while she’s at it.”

“But—”

“No more buts. Call her. I’ll tell Aoi ok?”

The blonde took a deep breath and smiled. “Ok.”

“Good boy.”


	21. Chapter 21

            Uruha looked at his sisters sleeping in the large bed before he quietly closed the door. He walked out into the living room where Reita was laying on the couch, his head on Ruki’s lap. The blonde looked like he was about to fall asleep any second now. Aoi was dozing off in the chair as Kaoru made his way in from the kitchen. The brunette walked closer catching their attentions. Aoi looked up at him and smiled.

“You tired?”

“A little bit.”

The magenta teen stood up and stretched, showing a bit of his stomach. “Me too.”

“Go ahead and sleep. I’ll wait up for her.” Kaoru said. Aoi shook his head and nodded to the brunette to follow. Uruha said goodnight and walked behind the other teen to their room for the night and closed the door. The magenta boy sighed as he pulled his shirt off and sat next to his bag. His roommate nervously looked around as he moved to his bag to pull out some night clothes. He kept his back to the other as he begun changing. Aoi glanced back at the brunette to see light hickies on his back, but he looked away as Uruha started pulling his pants down. The magenta teen began changing himself before he was caught staring. The brunette walked over to the bed as his classmate changed into some sweat pants. Uruha slipped into the bed as he walked over to the door and turned the light off. He then walked over to the bed and laid down. They both stared up at the darkened ceiling, both breathing heavily. Aoi cleared his throat.

“Um…goodnight.”

“Night.”The brunette mumbled.

His classmate sighed. “Uru…”

“…y-yes?”

Aoi bit his lip and turned on his side, looking away from his friend. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Uruha looked over at the figure a foot away from him. He hesitated for a moment, but slowly slid over to his friend and pressed his body against Aoi’s back. His arms curled up into his chest and legs pressing against the magenta boy’s legs. All the while, his friend’s eye widen and his face covered with a confused expression. Uruha sniffled as he slipped one arm under his classmate’s body and moved the other one over his body. The brunette squeezed tightly, hugging his friend. Aoi felt a warm wet spot forming on his back and it was obvious what it was. He gripped his friend’s hand in his own and squeezed it. Uruha was breaking down, his wall was falling apart a little at a time, and Aoi could do nothing except be there for him to cry on. He never felt so useless and it brought tears to his eyes. He pulled away from the brunette, but turned and lifted him into a tight hug. Uruha was trying not to be loud as he cried and pressed into his friend’s chest. They fell back onto the bed like that. They laid there, hugging each other as he cried his heart out.

            Out in the living room, Reita was slowly falling asleep as his lover continued rubbing his head. Kaoru sat down in Aoi’s chair and watched the two teens. Ruki seemed so gentle around the blonde, though his first impression was anything but gentle. It was quiet in the room except the occasionally deep breath Reita made. It wasn’t until they heard the sound of a car door close that they moved from their spots. Kaoru walked quickly to the door as the two boys stood up from the couch. The butler walked out to find Kokoro carrying a bag as she walked up the pathway.

“Decided to stay here after all?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I changed my mind.”

“Here, let me take your bags.” Kaoru offered. She gladly handed it over and followed him up to the porch where her brother was waiting with his boyfriend. He smiled and hugged her.

“Sorry for making you come all the way out here.”

“It’s ok. I wanted to spend time with you anyways.” She whispered. She slowly pulled away and rubbed his face. Kaoru held the door open for them as they walked in.

“I’m very sorry. I have to fix up the rooms tomorrow. You may sleep in my room for the night, Suzuki-chan.” The butler said sadly.

She smiled. “No, it’s fine. I came here on short notice so I’ll take the couch.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’. Now, it’s gotten late. Why don’t we all call it a night?”

“Yes, ma’m.” The three boys muttered. Kaoru sighed with a slight smile. “I will get you a pillow and blanket then.”

She waited until he was gone before she sat next to her bag and unzipped it. On top was Reita’s night and day pill counters. She handed them to him and stood up to hug him. “Akira…”

“Thanks.” He mumbled and pulled away from her.  She watched as he grabbed Ruki’s hand and led him out of the room. Pain evident in her face as she walked down the hallway to the room her brother was staying in. She peeked in enough to see him swallowing a handful then drinking from a water bottle. He changed into a pair of sleeping pants as Ruki did the same. They climbed into bed together and cuddled up. Reita buried his head into the chestnut’s shoulder and neck. Ruki kissed his lover’s forehead before reaching over and turning the lamp off. Kokoro sniffled as she walked away and headed back into the living room. As she walked in, she saw Kaoru making the couch up for her to sleep on. He looked up to smile, but it quickly dropped when he saw her starting to cry. He walked over and pulled her into a hug.

“What’s wrong?”

She buried her face into his chest. “ _H-he still blames himself.”_

He rubbed her back and pulled away only to led her to the sliding glass door. They stepped out back onto the small porch. She turned and hugged him again as she cried. He held her tightly as she let out her sadness on his chest and shoulder. “It’ll be alright. Everything will work out.”

_“But…he…he has to get better. He can’t k-keep living like this. H-he’ll destroy himself.”_

Kaoru gently rubbed her back. “That won’t happen. Have you seen how he and Ruki-san interacts with each other? They need each other and they’ll help each other. I can see Ruki-san’s burden though he hasn’t shared it with me. He’s wary towards people, but open with your brother. They’ll heal each other, or at least make it less painful, I just know it.”

She sniffled and looked up at him with sad eyes. Raising her hand, she gently rubbed his cheek before stretching her neck to kiss his lips. He pushed down against hers and held her tighter. Their mouths opened up to greet each other and share each other. He moved his hands up to grip her face and push deeper into the kiss. Their kiss was feverish, passionate, loving, and rough, but they gently pulled away all of a sudden. He looked into Kokoro’s eyes with such love and hope as she looked with the same feelings. He rubbed her red cheek with his left thumb.

“Have you…told him?”

She looked down. “My brother, or Jiro?”

“Both?”

“Not to Akira. I haven’t told him that I’m staying for good this time. Jiro and I are getting divorced. I told him everything. Our affair, how long it’s lasted, and that I love you, not him.” She whimpered, gripping his hand and leaning into it.

“What about your father?”

“He was upset. Very upset. He picked Jiro himself you know.”

Kaoru glared a bit. “Are you sure about this?”

“There’s no turning back now. Besides, I couldn’t stand being with him. I kept thinking of you, Kaoru. I missed you. I couldn’t stand sneaking around anymore. I couldn’t stand coming here in secret so I could see you, or you secretly coming to see me. I don’t want to hide it anymore. I want to be in the open with you.”

He smiled softly. “Ok then. I’m happy no matter what. I hope I can keep you happy, too.  However, you have to tell your brother.”

“I will, when the time is right.” She whispered. “I’ve never seen him so…content before. I don’t want to upset him now.”

“You won’t. He’ll be happy that you’re moving back.”

“I don’t want to risk it. Not yet.”

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her head. “I want to be there when you tell him.”

“Alright.”

They held each other tightly as the sound of crickets filled the air. They didn’t want to let go yet, not when they could finally show their affection in the open without anyone seeing. They could barely stay apart when they were in the same room earlier, they can hardly stand being apart anymore. They didn’t want to be apart anymore.

            “Wake up!” Mayu yelped as she jumped on Aoi’s stomach. He grunted as she jumped off him and on to her brother, waking him up too. The magenta teen groaned as he sat up with the brunette.

“Mayu, what are you doing?” Uruha asked as he yawned.

She smiled. “Breakfast is ready and you two are the only ones still sleeping. Kaoru says we have to go shopping today for our swimsuits. Oh and Kokoro said she’ll come to help pick ours out.”

“Alright.” Her brother sighed. “Step out so we can get ready.”

“Ok.” She giggled, but looked at her brother with slightly wide eyes.

“What?”

“Your eyes aren’t as dark as they usually are.”

He rubbed next to his right eye. “Dark?”

He gasped when he felt a hand rub his cheek and a thumb rub under his eye. Aoi smiled. “You do seem more rested today.”

Uruha blushed as he pulled his head away. “Um…yeah…I’m feeling rested too. Mayu…if you would…”

“Oh.” She laughed and jumped off the bed. She ran to the door and shut it on her way out, making Aoi giggle a little.

“She’s so adorable.”

“Yeah.” Uruha sighed. “But sometimes I thinks she’s nuts.”

“Hey some of the best people are a little nuts.”

“Like you?” The brunette laughed.

“How?” Aoi muttered.

“You asked a guy to pretend to be a girl so you could fool your parents. You keep saying you would pay my debt. You put up with me and my sisters.”

The magenta teen grabbed his classmates hand and looked at him with a serious face. “That’s not nuts. Well, the first one might be, but the other ones…I care for you Kouyou. I want you to stop hurting. I want to stop the pain you’re going through. I want you and your sisters to be happy. So I’m begging you, let me help you.”

“Yuu…” Uruha whimpered. Tears ran down his cheek before he even realized his eyes were watered up. He laid his head on Aoi’s shoulder as his body shook from the oncoming emotions. His classmate rubbed his back and pulled him closer. The older teen bit his lip as he lifted Uruha’s head. He looked down into the brunette’s eyes and moved down. Uruha gasped when he realized what was about to happen, yet he didn’t push away or say no. He closed his eyes and raised to meet the other’s lips.

“Hey Aoi,” Miyavi called as he opened the door. The two on the bed quickly peeled apart before they could kiss and looked at the intruder with flushed faces. The half blonde giggled nervously. “Uh…s-sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Uh, I’ll just be waiting with the others. Just continue on.”

“Get out!” Aoi growled. His friend quickly closed the door. Uruha sighed as he slipped out of bed and knelt by his bag. The pink haired teen looked sadly at him. “Uru…”

The brunette smiled as he turned. “I’m hungry, let’s hurry.”

Aoi felt his heart beat and face flush. He was surprised to see such a happy smile, a truly sincere smile. It felt amazing to see such a person smiling like this. He didn’t think he’s ever seen such a face on anyone before. “You’re beautiful.”

They both had a sharp intake of air as the words fell out. Uruha’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head as his face hit the darkest shade of red. “Wh…what?”

“Uh…”Aoi swallowed hard. It felt like his cheeks were literally on fire. He jumped off the bed and grabbed the first set of clothes in his bag and toothbrush. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be out in a little bit.” He ran to the door and opened it, but froze and looked at Uruha. The brunette was frozen, but staring at him with shocked eyes. He sighed and looked softly at his classmate. “You’re beautiful. That’s what I said. I meant it.”

Uruha watched as his friend left the room.  He stared at the door with his body shaking. He didn’t know whether to be happy, embarrassed, upset, or anything. He was so confused. He looked up at the mirror on the wall to see his redden reflection. “Me? Beautiful?” He unconsciously rubbed his neck as he stared at himself. Stared into his own eyes, trying to figure out these feelings.

            Aoi stepped out of the bathroom with a towel still on his head. He walked out to find everyone almost done with their food. Uruha looked at him, but blushed and looked away. He looked away too and sat down in the only spot, next to the brunette. He sighed as he started digging in. The others looked at them, then at each other. Mayu was confused.

“Nii-chan? Are you feeling ok?”

The brunette looked at her and smiled. “I’m fine.”

“Then why is your face red? And you’re looking down! If you’re sick then you should lay down instead of being up. You’ll get sicker.”

“I’m ok. I’m not sick, just…a little shy at the moment.”

“Huh? Why?”

He sighed out and smiled. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“But I want to understand now!”

“Mayu.” Satomi snapped. “If he doesn’t want to say why, then he won’t. Stop bullying him.”

She gasped. “I didn’t mean to bully! I’m sorry nii-chan!”

“It’s ok. Just finish up.”

She nodded and started on her last bites. The group was silent as they cleaned their plates and started gathering them together to wash. Aoi was last to finish and got up to take his dishes to the kitchen. He sat them in the sink as Uruha started washing them. The teen stopped his friend.

“You don’t have to do that here.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’, we need to leave anyways.”

“We’ll do it.” Reita said as he walked up behind him. “I want to stay here. I need to talk to Kai about a few things.”

“About what?” Kai asked as he finished scrapping his plate off. 

“Something I should have told you a long time ago.”

“Oh.”The brunette said surprised. “Are you sure?”

“Very.” The blonde said happily.

Kokoro walked into the kitchen. “You guys ready yet?”

“Yeah.” Aoi said as he pulled Uruha away from the sink.

“Then let’s head out.”

            The two girls were giggling with excitement as they walked into the store. Uruha smiled at them and walked with them to the back where the bathing suits were hanging. The girls eagerly went running to the racks to look for their favorites. Kokoro gripped his shoulder and smiled at him.

“I’ll take care of them. Go and pick yourself some swimming trunks.”

“Uh…are you sure?”

“I have a little brother. Besides, I think they would be embarrassed to have their brother help them with this.”

He scratched his head and nodded. Aoi lightly hit his arm. “This way.”

The three guys walked over to their own area as the girls went through the swimwear. Mayu grabbed a one piece covered in flowers, then a rainbow two piece, and one that had little fish on it. Satomi looked through them to see a few she liked, but none she wanted. She was slightly insecure about her body to be showing, but she felt like she was too old to wear a one piece. She gripped her left arm with her right hand and looked down, but someone patted her shoulder. She looked up to see Kokoro smiling at her.

“What’s wrong dear?”

The young girl bit her lip. “I…I don’t like the way I look.”

Kokoro knelt down and took Satomi’s hands. “Sweetie, you’re beautiful. Besides, you’re in junior high, you shouldn’t be worried about your looks.”

She sniffled. “Please don’t tell nii-chan…I get bullied a lot at school. I wear hand me downs, so none of my clothes are new. Kouyou has to buy some from charities. The other girls call me poor and dirty. They say I’m fat and ugly like my brother. I get called nerd a lot for having good grades. One girl…she calls me a slut. Says that I sell my body like my brother does. I…I don’t know how they found out, but if he knew, it would kill him. He would hurt more than he does now.”

Reita’s sister hugged the younger girl. “I won’t tell him, but I’ll be living back home with my brother soon, so you can come to me anytime you need to cry or talk about this. Don’t believe what they say. They’re really are just jealous because you’re so pretty. I wish I was as beautiful as you are when I was your age. I was an ugly duckling.”

“You?” Satomi sniffled. “But you’re so pretty.”

She laughed. “Yeah, but I really was ugly. You are in a phase of where you are growing. As you get older, you become more beautiful, no matter what you look like right now. Just give it time, you’ll come to realize that these people now are not important. The people close to you and the people you befriend in the future is what’s significant. Don’t let anyone bring you down especially about your own body.”

The younger shook her head and wiped her eyes. “Ok. Thank you.”

“No problem. Now, let’s find you something cute.”

            Uruha was circling the rack looking at all the swimming shorts. He grabbed the tags and dropped them when they showed a high price. He went to the next set and started looking at the prices when he saw a pair of purple and black ones. He pulled them out and looked at them. They were black with swirls of different purples and different sizes. He really liked them and looked at the price, but frowned. They were too much. He set them back on the rack and sighed, but Aoi pulled them off and looked at the tag.

“Hmm…they may have a smaller size.” The magenta teen sat the pair back and looked through the others to pull out some that were smaller around the waist. He pressed it against Uruha body smiled. “These should fit.”

“But…they’re too expensive.”

“It’s ok. Besides, you won’t find any cheap ones here.”

“I can’t let you buy this.”

“Do you like these?”

Uruha sighed. “Yes.”

“Do you want them?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then I’m getting them. Let’s go see if your sisters found any.” Aoi started walking away.

“What’s the point?” Uruha said a little too loud. “We don’t even know how to swim. What’s the point of spending so much?”

The pink haired teen looked sad, but smiled. “So we can teach you. Is that so bad?”

The brunette opened his mouth, nothing came out. Was it so bad to let someone buy something for him? It was another new feeling. Aoi carefully grabbed his wrist and started leading him down the aisles to find his sisters. He looked at his friend’s face. The teen looked happy to be doing this. Uruha sighed, maybe for once, he wouldn’t worry about money.

            They were gone for about two hours when they got back to the house. They found the others already dressed in their swimsuits watching tv in the living room. Kai smiled as they ran in. Mayu laughed as she jumped in his lap.

“Look what I got, puppy-chan.” She pulled a one piece with sea horses on it. Then another one that was a two piece with colorful swirls.

“So pretty. Which one are you going wear first?”

“Hmm I’m not sure. Mimi-chan, which one.”

Miyavi hummed. “How about the sea horse one?”

“I’m wearing the swirly one first.”

“Hey!” The half blonde whined, but the others just laughed.

“Hurry up and change so we can swim!” Ruki shouted excitedly. Satomi and Mayu laughed as they ran to their room. Uruha laughed, but was soon being pulled to his room by Aoi.

“They’re waiting on us so we better hurry.” The magenta teen smiled. They got in and Uruha watched as the other started undressing. The brunette blushed and turned away to change as well. Aoi was done in a couple of minutes and turned to see his friend had changed, but he was looking down and hugging himself. “Is something wrong? Did we get the wrong size?”

“Nothing is wrong with the trunks. I just…don’t want anybody to see me.”

“Uru?” Aoi approached him and grabbed his shoulders. He looked down at the thin body, but realized that’s not what he wanted to hide. It was the hickies and other bruises. He stepped back and walked over to his dresser and started digging through it. There was a bunch of old clothes inside, most probably don’t even fit him anymore. He pulled out a light grey, thin jacket and handed it over to the brunette. Before Uruha could complain, it was draped over his shoulders and his friend gave him a stern look. He slipped into the jacket and zipped it up, making Aoi smile. He smiled back.

“You done yet?” Ruki shouted as he opened the door up. He grabbed both of their wrists and pulled them out of the room. “Good! Let’s get going!”

They walked out to see everyone waiting, even the young sisters. Satomi was wearing a black two piece that had lime green lining on it, Kai had on blue trunks with white flowers, Miyavi was wearing plain red ones, Ruki was in his red and black ones, and Reita was in a pair of dark blue trunks.

Kaoru clapped his hands. “Alright. Go have fun. We’ll be in here cooking and setting the rooms upstairs.”

“You sure?” The blonde asked.

“Yes, now go have fun.” Kokoro ordered.

“Let’s go puppy-chan!” Mayu shouted, pulling Kai’s arm. The group laughed as they followed them out the sliding door. Kokoro sighed, but smiled as the group walked through the grass.

            The lake was huge to say the least, the water was clearer than most, and it had a long dock that was made for fishing as well as parking a boat. Mayu and Satomi jumped into the bank and started splashing each other. Kai and Miyavi walked into the water next to Mayu and kneeled by her.

“Hey, you ready to learn how to swim?” The brunette asked.

“You’re going to teach me, puppy-chan?”

“Me too.” The half blonde smiled. “If you’ll let me of course.”

“hmm… ok, but puppy-chan is in charge.”She said. “What’s the first lesson?”

Aoi smiled as he knelt by Satomi. “Would you like me to teach you?”

“What about nii-chan?”

Uruha smiled. “You first. I’ll sit on the dock and watch, ok?”

“Alright.” She mumbled. The magenta boy smiled and grabbed her hand. “Let’s get started.”

“Hey Aoi.” Reita spoke up.

“Yeah?”

The blonde pulled Ruki into the water. “I’m going to show him our spot. We’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Alright, have fun.”

“Spot?” Ruki asked.

“You’ll see.” His lover smiled. “Follow me.”

They watched as the two started swimming down to the left. Uruha watched his sisters as he walked over to the dock. Miyavi was holding Mayu up as she kicked her legs to get to Kai who was a few feet in front of her. He stepped onto it and walked halfway down before sitting. He placed his feet in the water as Aoi was doggy paddling around Satomi, making her laugh. Uruha smiled, it was a nice day.

            Ruki had been following his lover down the lake for god knows how long. All he knew was that his legs were getting tired. “Rei…I need a break.”

The blonde stopped and floated in his spot until Ruki caught up. “We’re almost there. We just have to swim under these rocks.” He said patting the boulders next to them, but got a strange look from the other. “What?”

“You want me to swim under a bunch of rocks.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand and guide you through. I won’t let you get lost or anything.”

“Reita…”

“Please.” The blonde whined.

Ruki sighed and smiled. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Reita grabbed his hand. “Take a deep breath.” They both did and went under the water. The blonde led the way down to an opening in the rocks and went through it. It was pitch black inside, but he clenched Ruki’s hand, reassuring him before he got scared or worried. He slowed and felt around the shrinking area before pulling his lover to the right, then up into a small air pocket. They took deep breathes.

“You alright?”

“Yeah.” The chestnut gasped.

“Good, we’re almost there. Hold your breath, we’re going back down.” He said. They took in some air before diving back down and swimming further in. As they went farther, Ruki gripped his throat as the need for air started rising. He started kicking harder and Reita was too. The blonde pulled straight up and they rushed up to gasp for air. Ruki was taking deep breathes when he noticed something blue glowing in the water. He moved his hand to catch it, but found it wasn’t in the water and there were more around him. He looked up to find the cave covered in little blue lights, almost like stars in the night sky. He turned to see the side of the cave glowing so bright like it was really one big light. He looked over at Reita who was looking around, too, but made his way to looking at his lover.

“This is beautiful.” The chestnut smiled.

“Yeah. We found this place the first time I was here. We decided that this was our secret spot. Come on.” He swam over to the glowing wall where a flat piece of rock sat just above the waterline. “Careful of stalagmites. The water lowers and they form during that time. They got pretty tall over time so you might run into one swimming in here.”

Ruki moved his hands in front of him as he swam to his friend. His hand hit a rock as he passed it and realized that Reita wasn’t joking. He carefully maneuvered to the blonde. His lover pulled himself onto the rock, then help Ruki onto it. The chestnut looked at the blue wall. “Wow.”

“They’re glow worms. They live in these caves all over the place.”Reita said as he wrapped his arms around his lover’s body. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” Ruki gripped the blonde’s arms. “Thank you.”

            Back at the lake house, Uruha was laying on his stomach on the dock, gliding his fingers over the water. The others were playing in the water and laughing. Mayu was doggy paddling to Kai without Miyavi now. Satomi was nervously swimming with Aoi next to her. They were having a lot of fun, but then the sound of someone whistling caught their attention. Kokoro was making her way down to the bank as they started walking to her.

“Lunch is ready. Figure you all would be getting hungry.”

“Now that you mention…”Satomi said rubbing her stomach. “I’m starving!”

“Let’s go have some lunch then.” Kai said happily. They agreed and stepped out of the water. Aoi looked over to see Uruha still on the dock. He waved to the others to go ahead while he walked to the brunette. He sat next to his friend.

“Lunch is ready.”

“Oh? I was wondering what everyone was doing.” He mumbled.

“Are you ok? I’m sorry. We should have been paying attention to you too.” Aoi slapped his own head.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry, I’m just a little tired. I really don’t want to move anyways.”

“Are you sure? Do you want me to bring you something to eat?”

“No. I’m fine. I just want to lay here little longer. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Aoi sighed and rubbed his friend’s shoulder. “Alright.” Uruha listened as his friend got up and the footsteps as he left. He sighed. Aoi got off the dock to find Mayu standing there waiting. “He’ll be up soon. Come on.”

“I’ll go up with him.” She mumbled. “I want to cheer him up.”

The magenta teen smiled. “Alright.”

She watched as he left before she walked to her brother and sat next to him. “Nii-chan.”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you so sad?”

“I’m not.”

“But…”

“Mayu, I’m not sad. I’m confused. I’m tired. I’m content. I’m happy. I’m drained.”

“Can I help?”

Uruha turned over and petted her head. “Just keep smiling. That’ll help.” She smiled and hugged her brother. He patted her back and pulled away. “Go eat.”

She smiled and shook her head. She ran off the dock as he turned back over, but she stopped when she got off. She looked back at him and frowned. She looked at the water and smiled as she walked in it. She careful started kicking her legs and moving her arms like earlier. She slowly swam closer to her brother.

“Nii-chan look at what I can do now.”

He looked at the dock then down in the water to see her swimming passed him. “Mayu! Get out of the water!”

She flinched, but kept going. “But…I’m swimming. Aren’t you proud of me?”

“Very, but you can’t be in the water when you’re by yourself. Get back to the bank.”

“But you’re with me.” She swam further down the dock and her brother crawled on it.

“I can’t swim Mayu! Get out of the water, please!” Uruha begged as he reached the end of the dock.

“But…” She whimpered and looked at his scared eyes. “Ok.”

He grabbed the last post and reached his hand out. “Give me your hand so I can pull you up.”

She swam closer so she could grab it, but there was a loud snap as the wood broke beneath her brother’s foot. His hand slipped from the post and she screamed as he fell in front of her. Uruha popped up for air and started flailing in the water to stay up.

“ _Nii-chan!”_

“Help!” He screamed with a mouth full of water. Mayu cried as she kicked her feet hard and swam to the bank. She slowly made it to where she could touch bottom and started running up.

            Uruha swallowed a few mouthfuls of water as he watched his sister head to the land. He coughed and kicked his legs hard, but it wasn’t keeping him above water. He started choking as the liquid went into his lungs. He saw his sister making it to the bank before his head started going under water. No matter much he kicked and moved his arms, he couldn’t stay on top of the water and started to sink. He didn’t even get a chance to hold his breath and his lungs were filling with water quickly. He wanted to cry, but could you cry underwater? He wanted to hug his sisters, tell them that he loved them. He wanted Aoi to hold him in his sleep again. To tell him thank you for everything. He wanted to know what would have happened if Miyavi hadn’t interrupted them earlier. Would they have kissed or would they have stopped? Would he have been happy afterwards or not? He didn’t know. What he did know was that he wished they had kissed just to see what it would feel like.

            Everyone was gathered in the kitchen, eating their sandwiches as they joked around with each other. Aoi was nibbling on his food. He wasn’t feeling up to eating. He was worried about Uruha. The teen seemed upset about something, but there are so many things it could be. It could be the whole situation. The magenta boy sighed.

“You ok?” Kai asked.

“Yeah.” Aoi mumbled. They all looked at him like he grew a second head. “What?”

“You sure?” Kaoru asked. “Because you se—”

“Shush.” He ordered as he looked into the living room.

“What—”

“Shut up.” He snapped at Kai.

“Help!” They heard Mayu scream. Aoi took off before the plate from his hand broke on the floor. He ran out to see the young girl crying as she ran up to them.

“What’s wrong?”

_“I was just showing….that I could swim!”_

“What?” Kai asked.

_“Nii-chan f-fell in!”_

Aoi took off down to the lake as fast as he could. He couldn’t see anyone in the water, nor was it moving. He ran onto the dock as the others made it to the bank. He looked around the water before diving straight in. He swam down to the bottom and looked around, but he couldn’t see his friend. He twisted and turned, losing air as he searched around. As he was about to go up, he caught a glimpse of something purple. He looked over and saw Uruha floating just above a patch of grass a few feet away. He swam down to him and grabbed his body before shooting up to the surface. He turned to see Miyavi swimming to him to help. The half blonde took their friend as Aoi struggled to stay up. Kaoru was on the dock reaching out to them. Miyavi handed Uruha over when he got close enough and the butler pulled him up onto the dock. The half blonde went back to help the magenta teen over as well. They climbed onto the dock together. Kaoru had laid the brunette on his back and was performing CPR as Kokoro blew into his mouth every few pushes. Aoi looked passed them to see Kai holding Uruha’s sisters at the other end of the dock. Reita’s sister blew into his mouth one more time, but got splashed in the face with water when the brunette started coughing.

“Uru…” Aoi whimpered as he moved closer. Kaoru turned him onto his side as he coughed up more water. The pink haired teen knelt next to Uruha and scooped him up in his arms. “You’re ok.”

“Mayu?” The brunette whimpered.

“She’s ok.”

The two girls were running down the dock with Kai when they saw him moving. They jumped on him and started crying. He wrapped his arms around them, but leaned against Aoi’s chest. The teen hugged all three of them tightly. Uruha took deep breaths as he closed his heavy eyes and squeezed his sisters bodies. He had never been so scared in his life. He was confused more than ever now though. His thoughts before he blacked out wasn’t of his sisters, but of Aoi. He felt so guilty, but at the same time he felt at peace. He was tired of all these mixed feelings.


	22. Chapter 22

            A high pitch scream woke Uruha from his sleep. His body shot straight up and he proceeded to jump of the bed, but his foot got caught in the bed sheets. He lost his balance and fell off the bed instead of jumping from it. He groaned as he got to his feet and started running out of the room. He ran down the hall, past the stairs to the bathroom where he heard his sister crying. He started banging on the door.

“Satomi! What’s wrong? Are you ok?”

 _“Nii-chan, I’m scared!”_ She cried.

He grabbed the knob, but it was locked. “You have to open the door.”

“ _I can’t…I’m bleeding!”_

“What?” He yelped. “Where are you hurt?...Satomi let me in!”

“What’s going on?” Aoi asked as he, Reita, and Ruki ran up the steps.

“I don’t know. She said she’s bleeding.” The brunette was starting to freak out. “Satomi, you have to open the door.”

There was a moment of silence before they heard the knob jiggling, then the door slowly opened up. The young girl’s face was covered in tears and snot running around her lips. She was shaking as she stepped out to show them her pajama pants with blood on them.

“ _Kokoro!”_ Reita screamed as he ran back to the stairs and down them as he yelled for her again.

Uruha grabbed his sister’s shoulders. “What happened?”

_“I don’t know, I woke up like this. I’m scared!”_

“Uh…don’t worry.” Aoi said nervously. “W-we’ll get you to a hospital a-and they’ll fix you right up.”

She started crying out more making them feel terrified. Uruha was on the verge of tears and another breakdown. He was so scared that he didn’t know what to do. “Uh…please stop crying, it’s going be ok. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Oh my dear.” Kokoro said as she pushed Uruha completely out of the way. She smiled and grabbed Satomi shoulders. “There is no need to panic or worry. Remember yesterday when I told you about becoming a woman?” The younger shook her head, still whimpering. “Well, this is part of it. It’s not blood, so don’t worry. You just started your period is all.”

“My…p-period? What’s that?”

The brunette’s eyes widen. “You don’t know about menstrual cycles?”

“N-no.”

Kokoro sighed and patted the girl’s shoulders. “Akira, go to Kaoru and tell him to go by some thin pads from the store. He’s not an idiot like you guys, so he knows what to get.”

“Hey!” The blonde grumbled, but a quick glare from her sent him back down stairs.

“She’s going to be ok?” Uruha sat up from being pushed onto the ground.

“Yes.” She said softly. “Didn’t you take health class?”

He looked at the floor. “I guess not.”

“Well, I will just have to teach you while I teach her, since she’s obviously never had one either. Hasn’t your mother talked about this with you?”

Satomi’s eyes fell to the floor and her brother tensed up. Aoi  knelt beside her and whispered in her ear. “Not the best thing to bring up.”

“Oh…I’m sorry.” She mumbled.

“It’s ok.” Uruha said tiredly.

“Well, let’s get you cleaned up and I’ll teach you all you need to know.”

            Uruha sat outside of the bathroom after he brought fresh clothes for his sister. Kokoro was in there talking to her about her body and he was listening through the cracked door. He was relieved that it wasn’t as severe as he thought it was. He was making sure to listen to her so he knew how to deal or help his sister once a month. It was tiresome morning for him and he really just wanted to go back to sleep now. He looked over to see Ruki walking to him with a grocery bag. The chestnut lightly knocked on the door and Kokoro poked her head out.

“Here. Kaoru got these.” He handed the bag over. She smiled and took them from him, but he spoke up before she could close the door. “Are you finished with Uruha?”

The brunette looked up at him with a quizzical expression. Kokoro hummed and smiled. “Yeah, I think I told him all he needed to know.”

Uruha stood up and nodded his head before Ruki started leading him away. He took a sigh of relief. “So what’s up?”

“Just follow me.”

            Ruki lead him out to the gazebo out back on the left of the house. It was white with ivy wrapping around five of the six poles. They walked inside and sat right in the center of it. Ruki crossed his legs and pulled his knees to his chest. The brunette leaned back with a raised brow, but noticed that it looked like his friend was finding the words to say. He smiled.

“What’s up?”

The younger hummed as he blushed and looked away. “Well…”

“It’s ok. You can tell me anything.”

Ruki sighed. “It’s about what happened yesterday.”

“When I almost drowned?”

“What? Oh, no it’s not that. N-not that I don’t care. I’m happy you’re okay.”

Uruha almost laughed. “Well, what is it then?”

The chestnut took a deep breath and blushed. “Reita…took me to his secret spot. Well… one thing led to another and I wasn’t ready and I was nervous and…” He took a deep breath. “Could you teach how to have sex?”

“What?” The brunette yelped, but scratched his head. “Well, I can’t exactly teach you without doing it with you. I could give advice and some pointers for it. How far did you two go?”

Ruki blushed a deep red and closed his eyes.

            _The chestnut was staring up at the glowing wall when he started feeling his lover’s lips sucking on his neck. He blushed as Reita slipped his hand in front of him and started rubbing his chest. The blonde pulled off and turned his head so they could kiss. Ruki pulled away only to turn and wrap his arms around his lover as they started making out again. The athlete slipped his arms under the younger’s butt and pulled him up into the air, making him yelp, but he smiled as he wrapped his legs around Reita’s body. They continued to kiss softly as he slowly got down to his knees and sat his lover gently on the ground._

_The blonde crawled over him, forcing him to lay on his back. Ruki blushed deeper as his body heated up from the action. He looked up into Reita’s eyes before closing his own to kiss again. It felt nice feeling the blonde’s body against his own. His hands seemed to gain minds of their own as they moved down then up. He felt Reita’s warm skin against his palms as he explored the muscled torso. He moaned slightly when he felt the blonde’s hands moving down his sides and his boyfriend’s hips pressing against his own._

_He whimpered as he felt a warm sensation run from his crotch up to his chest. Reita smiled as he lightly grazed his fingers over his lover’s pale skin. They pulled away from each other, their faces looking purple from the blue glowworms’ light hitting the red on their cheeks. The chestnut squeezed his eyes shut and he let out a slight moan when he felt Reita’s hand wrap around him. He felt the hand stroke him slowly and tightly, making him shudder._

_“H-have you ever done this before?” Ruki asked softly._

_“Not with another guy, but it’s the same as doing it to yourself. Or at least it should be.”_

_The chestnut felt his face burn, but he hesitantly moved his hand down to untie his lover’s trunks. He swallowed as he slipped it in to find the hard heat inside. He gently gripped it, making Reita smile so he gave a shy smile in return. They both started moving their hands, with closed eyes and heavy breathes. The blonde sat his head on Ruki’s chest and as the younger sat his back down. Both letting out occasional moans here and there.  The blonde finally sat up; pulling his hand out his lover’s swim shorts and he sat up. The chestnut removed his hand and looked up as Reita leaned over. The blonde started to lightly kiss his chest down to his stomach and waist line. He gripped the cloth that was in the way, and tugged it down. Ruki lifted his hips a bit to help and soon pants were halfway down his thighs. The blonde sat up and pulled his own down about the same amount and leaned over to press their members together. The chestnut moaned out when his lover gripped the both of them._

_“We’re almost the same size.” He giggled as he thrusted his hips a bit. He gave them a good squeeze as he stroked them a few more times. He leaned over and started kissing on Ruki’s chest, then started sucking on his nipples. His lover rubbed his fingers though the blonde hair and gave him a good tug every few minutes or so. Reita moaned when he did that, so he continued his tugging as his lover moved down his body. Their members were temporally forgotten as he moved down Ruki’s twitching erection. He flicked it a few times before stroking it some more. Ruki shivered from the sensation and slowly sat up his upper body to look. Reita smiled at him before he kissed the chestnut’s member._

_“D-do you know what you’re doing?”_

_“Well, kind of.” He giggled giving it another kiss. “I’ve had plenty of blowjobs. I know what it feels like. I’ve watched as some of them did it too.” He stuck his tongue out and licked the vein popping out, making Ruki shudder. The blonde licked around it, sucked on the side a bit and moved up to the tip where he licked around it. The tickling feeling ran through Ruki’s body. Heat filled his stomach and went up his spine. He opened his eyes without even knowing they were closed. He looked down to see Reita wrapping his lips around him. The suddenly feeling if something going through him made him moan and arch his back. Reita’s eyes widen and he pulled off with a mouth full of semen, and another squirt hitting his cheek. Ruki limply laid on the rock and gasped for air._

_“That was kind of…fast.”_

_Ruki sniffled as he turned over to hide his face. “I-I’m sorry.”_

_The blonde smiled softly as he climbed over the chestnut’s body and pressed up against him. “It’s ok, love.” He kissed behind Ruki’s ear._

_The chestnut blushed as he turned his head to kiss Reita gently on the lips. He felt the blonde’s warm hand rub against his thigh as his lover’s member pressed against his butt. “Rei…I…”_

_“It’s ok if you’re not ready. We don’t have the right preparation anyways.” He kissed Ruki’s cheek and pulled away from him. The younger watched as Reita stood up and  pulled his trunks up._

_“What about you? What…”_

_The blonde smiled. “I’ll be fine. I don’t want to push you or anything. Next time though, I would really enjoy you.”_

            Uruha stared with wide eyes. “So…what happened next?”

Ruki sighed and laid his legs back down. “Nothing. He slipped into the water for a while and we eventually swam back out. Then came back to find you sleeping on the couch and Aoi told us what happened. So I stayed and helped keep an eye on you while Reita helped get the rooms ready upstairs. I feel like I should have done more. I want to do more, but I don’t know anything about that stuff. I don’t mean any offence to you, but you are experienced with this stuff, so I just thought, you know. Maybe you could help me.”

The brunette smiled. “Well, you need to be in the right mood. You need to make sure you have condoms, lube, and make sure you clean yourself up a little before it.”

“Right, sounds simple.” Ruki smiled.

“Well, not exactly. You need an enema.”

 “A what?”

“I-it’s to clean yourself…down there.” Uruha scratched his head. “So that it’s not messy. And it’s not like you’re going to enjoy it your first time. You may not. It hurts a lot and it’s something you have to trust him with.”

The chestnut looked down sadly. “I just…I do trust him. I really want this even if it hurts. I want to be worth something to him. I want to be able to make him happy and make him smile.”

“Why?” the brunette asked. “What’s the point? Why is his happiness important to you.”

“I…I’m not sure really. I guess it’s the feeling we all have for certain people. You know, when you want to hug them when they are down, laugh when they’re happy, take care of them when they are sick, and protect them when they’re hurt. I think it’s love to be honest. I know it’s really early to be saying that we love each other, but sometimes there’s that one person who instantly changes your view on everything. Sometimes you can’t help but falling for someone. Don’t you have someone like that?”

“No.” Uruha whispered.

“What about Hiroto?”

His classmate looked away. “I don’t feel anything for him to be honest.”

“Then why are you playing with him like that?”

“I’m not!” He looked up and started to cry. _“I just…he asked me to try and I just….just said yes because I was upset. I don’t love him or even like him more than a friend. When he touches me…it feels the same as when others touch me.”_ He hugged himself _. “I feel disgusted. Trashy. Dirty.”_

Ruki moved closer and griped the brunette’s shoulder. “What about Aoi?”

 _“What about him?”_ He sniffled.

“What do you feel when he touches you?”

“What does he have to do with anything?”

The chestnut smiled. “Miyavi said you two were about to make out yesterday. You two have been pretty close here lately too. You’ve come out of your shell a bit. So how does he make you feel and be honest.”

Uruha sighed and wiped his cheeks off. “I don’t know. It’s all so confusing. Ruki, I have never felt special or warm. I’ve always been used and tossed to the side like I was trash. I was always used to someone’s content then pushed to the next person. Aoi …Aoi treats me differently. He’s gentle and kind. He’s helped me so much with money and with my sisters. They love him like another brother now and they look up to him. They always want to go to his house and they ask about him every day. He’s made them so happy.”

“What about you though?”

“He’s…I’m so confused. He’s made me feel like a person. He makes my heart pound and my body hot.” Uruha started blushing. “He said I was beautiful. I’ve never been complimented. I feel like I can trust him with anything, even with my sisters. When he touches me, I don’t tense like with everyone else and I’ve opened up to him about things that I swore to never speak of. I feel safe when I’m with him and I feel…I don’t know. It’s so hard to describe. I’ve never felt it with anyone else though.”

Ruki smiled. “You love him.”

“What? How?”

“The warm feeling you get and strange emotions you get from being around him. It’s a clear sign that you love him.”

“I…how can I love him? He doesn’t want to be with me. I’m a prostitute for fucks sake. I’m the lowest of the low.”

“Love is a strange thing.” Ruki sighed. “It’s making me open up more. It doesn’t matter what you do, if he loves you then he loves you. There’s nothing that can stop it. Same with you loving him. The only thing that will come between you are yourselves.”

Uruha bit his lip. “I…have to think about this. All it does is leave me with a headache.”

The chestnut shook his head. “Alright. If you ever want to talk about it though, just come and talk to me.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“That’s what friends are for.”

The brunette gave him a small smiled before he started talking again. “I know the best brand of lube you’d want to use. It warms you up and turns you on like crazy.”

Ruki blushed. “Oh?”

“Yeah. And something else guys like is when you suck on their neck while they take you. A lot get off on that.”

“What about sucking…you know…their dicks?”

“Well, the head of the penis id the most sensitive part. So focus on that. Don’t try and deep throat or anything like that. You’ll just hurt yourself. When you do it, think of a lollipop or a popsicle. Rub their thighs while you’re doing it too because that could turn them on more.”

The nodded his head as he listened to all the details his friend was giving him. Though some made his whole face turn red and others made him nervous. All the different positions you could do was crazy to him, but he figured he would enjoy them in the future. As they continued on, Uruha noticed how well the other teen was paying attention and knew Ruki was serious about this. He was determined to have sex with Reita and soon too. He looked up at the sky and sighed.

“What?” Ruki asked.

“Let’s get Kaoru to take us to the store. He may not since he just got back a little while ago, but we should try. That way you two can do it tonight.”

“T-tonight?” He stuttered.

“Yeah. Or do you think it’s too soon?”

“No, it’s just…I didn’t think about doing it tonight, but I guess the sooner I do it, the less chance I’ll chicken out right?”

“Yep.”

The two of them stood up and headed inside where they found the butler cleaning the kitchen. They put on their cutest faces and approached him, but he knew something was up.

            Kaoru sighed as he stood by the two teens in the store. They had somehow convinced him to go back to the store so they could buy a few things. They were currently holding things that would embarrass him to have. An enema, a pack of condoms, a tube of lube, and a cream for sore bottoms. It was pretty obvious what these two had planned for, but Kaoru wished he didn’t know. When he heard them talking about ‘it happening tonight,’ he was worried about his sleep. He wondered how embarrassed Kokoro would be if she heard her brother doing the naughty and then he smiled. He wondered how embarrassed Reita would be if he heard them having sex. If only he could sleep in the same bed with her and hold her at least. He would be very happy. They couldn’t blow their secret, especially to these kids. He thought about all the fun he could have with her as they walked to the register. He ignored all the dirty looks they were getting from other shoppers and the cashier. Ruki was so embarrassed, the poor kid was blood red with his head down. Uruha only laughed as he paid for everything for him. They walked out to the car finally and Kaoru look back at the chestnut. He seemed quite nervous, but also very excited. Kaoru shook his head as he started the car and started driving away. However, before they made it back, the two teens managed to make his face turn red with the details they were sharing with each other about sex.


	23. Chapter 23

            Ruki sat out everything he needed on the nightstand. He lit up some candles that Uruha had found. The brunette said that candles help set the mood so he sat them on both nightstands. He stepped back and played with his black shirt as he looked at the four candles on each stand, the box of condoms, and lube on the left stand. He took a deep breath as he heard knocking on the door. He removed his shirt and dropped his pants before he walked to the door. He took another breathe before he opened the door to show Reita standing there. The blonde’s eyes widen when he saw his boyfriend and he looked down. The chestnut smiled as he grabbed his lover’s hand and pulled him inside. They closed the door before Reita moved closer to Ruki’s body.

“What’s all this about?”He asked with a smile.

The younger giggled as his boyfriend’s hands gripped his hips. “I wanted to go further.”

“Ru…” Reita sighed. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to. I wanted to the other day. This time though, I got everything we need so we can do it.”

The blonde smiled as he leaned down and captured the chestnut’s lips. Ruki moaned lightly as the kiss deepened and they started to move backwards towards the bed. They slowly climbed on it and laid on their sides.  Reita rubbed his lover’s cheek as he continued to kiss him. He slipped his other hand down to grip Ruki’s butt, making him moan. The chestnut rubbed the blonde’s chest and down to pull off the shirt. The athlete broke away to pull it off his head and throw it to the side before he went back down to kissing the blonde. Ruki nudged his knee between the taller teen’s legs, but Reita pulled away from the kiss.

He rubbed the younger’s cheek. “This is you first time. Let me take care everything for now.”

Ruki sighed. He knew he wouldn’t be automatically good at this, but he smiled knowing his lover was just looking out for him. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“L-let me suck you.” He whimpered and blushed.

Reita smiled sweetly. “Alright.”

The blonde turned onto his back and unbuckled his pants, but Ruki slapped his hands away. The younger teen sat on his abdomen and leaned over his body. The chestnut planted a soft kiss on Reita’s lips before moving down and sucking on his neck. The blonde hummed at that and at the hips grinding against his. Ruki slowly moved down making a trail of kisses down his lover’s torso. He grazed his tongue against the pale skin as he reached the belly button and kiss it. He moved his body down in between Reita’s legs and lend over to kiss his abdomen. He unzipped the blue jeans and slowly pulled them towards him. The blonde lifted one leg at a time to help remove them. Ruki leaned back over and blew his warm breath over the skin at his lover’s waistband. He licked up the forming sweat above it too making Reita breathe heavily. The chestnut placed a hand on each thigh and pushed up, massaging them as he sucked on the skin. Each time he stoked up, he moved closer and closer to the twitching flesh. Ruki finally moved his hands up and rubbed his thumbs right beside the growing bulge.

Reita finally let out a low moan. “Fucking tease.”

Ruki laughed. “I’m sorry. I was just having too much fun.”

The blonde groaned when his lover removed his hands. The younger teen gripped the top of the boxers and slowly pulled them down. He watched the member hook onto the cloth and get pulled down with it. He gave it a slight yank letting the penis spring up and hit its owner’s stomach. He didn’t waste any more time removing the boxers and tossed them aside. He looked up to Reita laying flat, but looking up at him. He blushed but moved to remove his own boxers to free his growing penis. He crawled back over Reita’s body and pressed the members together, making him the both mewl. Reita raised a hand and placed two of his fingers against the chestnut’s lips.

“Suck them. Make them wet.”

Ruki took them into his mouth and lapped them with his saliva as he wrapped his tongue around them. He pulled off with one last lick. The blonde moved his hand to the younger’s backside. He gripped the plumped cheeks with both hands. The shivered when he felt the two warm, wet fingers on his rump. He stared into Reita’s eyes as his lover moved his fingers close to his opening. The blonde bucked his hips, pushing against his lover’s erection as he pushed a finger on the ring of tight muscles. He force his finger in and Ruki let out a grunt.

“Does that hurt?”

“It feels really weird.”The chestnut’s voice was higher than normal. “It’s a dull pain, but nothing I can’t bear.”

“It’s going to be three times worse, I guarantee it. Are you still sure you want to do this?”

“Yes.” Ruki whimpered. “Why do you keep asking that? Do you want to do this?”

The blonde carefully pulled his finger out and moved his hands to cup the younger’s cheeks. “Of course I do, but I _don’t_ want to hurt you. I don’t want to see you in pain.”

“It’s going to hurt Rei…no matter when we decide to do it. You’re taking my virginity. I’m willing to deal with the pain so that we can be closer and even feel pleasure in the future. Besides, I won’t hurt for too long. Just a couple of days.”

“You really want this?”

“Yes.”

Reita shook his head. “Ok. We’ll take it slow though.”

Ruki smiled as he planted a chaste kiss on the blonde’s lips and moved down to kiss down his neck. The younger kissed his chest, then his stomach, and then just above the erection. Reita bit his bottom lip as he felt warm air hit his exposed member. His breath got stuck in his throat when he felt soft lips kiss one side, then the other. Ruki moved down to lick from the shaft all the way up to the tip making his lover shiver in delight. He licked over the head and Reita let out a soft moan deep in his chest. Ruki gripped the penis with one hand and wrapped his lips around the tip. He swirled his tongue around like he would with a sucker. The only difference was that it was a bit softer, but a hell of a lot hotter.  He sucked down on the tip like his would if he had a delicious lollipop. He pushed his tongue against the flesh and added more suction. Reita hissed in pain.

“Ru…lighten up on the biting.”

The chestnut pulled away and saw the reddening tip. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok. Just remember you have teeth.”Reita laughed. “I’m ready baby. Anymore and you may just end this before we reach the actual goal.”

Ruki laughed a bit too and shook his head. “Wh-what should I do?”

“First, come give me a kiss.”

The shorter did as was told and climbed over to kiss him. The blonde pulled him deeper into it, adding tongue. When Ruki was distracted, the athlete rolled them over so he was on top. He couldn’t push deeper into the kiss at this point and just pulled away to suck on the chestnut’s neck. Ruki trembled as his lover moved down to his chest. He gasped when Reita took a nipple into his mouth and sucked on it. The blonde bit down and pulled it a little to hear his lover whimper. He pulled away before he sat up and moved between Ruki’s legs. He spread them some and made them bend up. He had to reach to grab everything he needed from the nightstand. He took the lube and squirted a good amount on his fingers before tossing it to the side. He moved to start preparing when it hit him. He was going too fast. He needed to calm down, so he took a deep breath and smiled at his nervous lover.

“I’m going to prepare you now, are you ready?”

Ruki took in a deep breath and nodded his head. The blonde moved his slick fingers to their target and pressed them against the entrance. He slowly rubbed it, trying to wait for the lube’s extra reason to kick. The chestnut quivered when his bottom started heating up. He could feel his whole body starting to perspire from it as well. He spread his legs a wee bit wider and Reita took it as a sign to proceed. He pushed in his finger and the ring tightened a little. Ruki took a few breathes and relaxed his body. Reita moved his finger slowly, in and out. He took his time because he wanted his lover adjust easily. When he was able to go faster with it, he decided it was time for one more.

“I’m adding another one.” He warned, but didn’t give enough time before he pushed the second one in.

 Ruki hissed. “It stings.”

“Just relax.” The athlete ordered. He moved his fingers slowly at first, but he was beginning to feel impatient. He thrusted them faster after a few minutes. Ruki was taking short but steady breaths as he felt the fingers play with him. Reita picked up the pace as started to get to much into what he was doing. He was panting and thrusting his fingers harder showing that the excitement was getting to him.

“Rei…”Ruki whimpered. The blonde stopped and looked up at his lover. The younger was breathing hard and was certainly not getting any pleasure out of what he was doing.

“I’m so sorry baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Just get it over with.” He spoke with a shaky voice. “Neither of us are going to last this way.”

Reita shook his head and proceeded to pull his fingers out. He grabbed the box of condoms and opened up to get one out. He ripped the packet open and quickly rolled the protection over his member. Next step was grabbing the lube. He squeezed some in his hand and quickly lathered himself up. He moved closer and lifted the younger’s hips onto his thighs. He gripped his member when an idea hit him. Before he continued on, he grabbed the lube and squirted some on his hand, but this time he applied it to Ruki’s erection.

“Reita? What are you doing?”

“So you feel good too.”

The chestnut blushed when he felt it warming up. He took a deep and laid his head back. “I’m ready. I’m ready for you to take me.”

“If it gets too much, just say so and I’ll stop. It doesn’t matter how close I am, I’ll stop.”

Ruki nodded his head. Reita gripped himself and guided it to the opening. He nudged against it, giving his lover a moment to prepare. He started to slowly push it in and the chestnut let out a loud yell as he was torn. Reita looked up to see tears in his lover’s eyes and he stopped to lean over and kiss him. Ruki’s body shook from the throbbing pain in his back side, but the soft kiss the blonde was offering calmed him down a bit. He relaxed a little and the stinging sensation lightened some. It didn’t go away, no it still burned like crazy, but he wanted to go on. After a few minutes, he pulled away and nodded his head, telling Reita to go on. The blonde complied and slowly pushed the rest of the way in. Ruki reached up to hug the blonde’s neck as he slowly pulled out for the first time. Reita was gentle as he pushed in and repeated the motion a few times. He ignored the burning on his back from his lover clawing him as he found a steady rhythm. He moved a hand down and gripped Ruki’s cock to stroke it. The blonde let out a soft moan as his sensitive area was massaged. He looked up into Reita’s eyes to so many emotions in them. So much love, worry, and softness in them. He looked over to see the blonde clenching the bed sheet. He could tell Reita was holding back for his sake and he was thankful for it. The burning didn’t go away, but it didn’t get too much worse because of how he was being treated. Reita did occasionally push harder, but he would back off and go back to doing it slowly. Ruki felt a little bad.

“Reita.”

The blonde stopped. “Too much? Do you want to stop?”

“No.” The chestnut flushed. “When you did it harder…it felt really good. Would you…do it a little harder and I’ll be ok if you go faster.”

Reita smiled and pushed in harder like he was told to. Ruki let out a moan. He wasn’t lying entirely when he said that. He the blonde went deeper, he felt something go off inside him. He let out another when his lover kept hitting it and faster. He was able to ignore the burning better now. He threw his head back as Reita raised up. Reita smiled when the younger’s moan became louder and more frequent. He tested on going faster and when Ruki wrapped his legs around the blonde’s hips, he knew he couldn’t slow down now. Ruki peeked his eyes open to see his lover leaning over him again with his head thrown back and his neck. He fought the pain and lifted himself to bit Reita’s Adams apple and the blonde let out a deep moan. Reita’s breathing hitched and he moved his arms to wrap around Ruki’s body as he laid on top of him. Reita started humping like a dog as he started moaning with the chestnut. His hips thrust very fast several times, then stopped, and started again. He repeated this a few times until he wasn’t stopping anymore. He lifted his body up and Ruki unhooked his legs to spread them wider.

 _“Ru! Baby, I’m almost at my peak.”_ He moaned and started going as fast he could. He could feel the warm sensation in his gut shoot down into his cock. He thrusted hard once, twice, then stopped on the third one. His last thrust he shot his seeds into the condom. He let out a deep breath as he stopped all movement. Ruki panted with him and waited for the blonde to get his composure back. Reita slowly slipped out of his lover and looked at the swelling, bloody hole.

 “I’m sorry. I was too rough, wasn’t I?”He asked, still catching his breath, but Ruki shook his head negatively and smiled.

“It hurt a little, but it felt great too. It’s hard to describe. I’m really happy though, that’s for sure.”

Reita smiled as pulled his condom off and moved to where he was laying between Ruki’s legs. He gripped the stiffened member and gave it a few strokes. He massaged the younger’s balls as he moved to suck down on the red tip. The chestnut moaned with a smile. His body was spent, but he still hadn’t released yet. It was amazing how Reita made him feel. Even now his body hurts so bad, but he couldn’t be happier and he was surely feeling pleasure between his legs. He could feel the pressure rising in his body just like the first time Reita did this to him. It felt so good then and it feels so good now. He wondered if he ever made the blonde feel this way. If not, he wanted to. He wants to show Reita how much he loves him and how far he’ll go for the athlete. Ruki wanted to be his and his alone, but he wanted Reita all for himself as well. He arched his back of the bed as the feeling shot through him. Only Reita could do this to him. He knew that nobody else would make him feel this way. He moaned out as he shot into his lover’s mouth. His hips thrusted a few times as the last few spurts came out. Reita swallowed before he pulled off and licked his lips. He slowly moved up to lay beside his lover and pull him close to his body as they slowly caught their breathes. Ruki turned onto his side and snuggled against the blonde’s body.

“Rei.”

“Yes?”

“That was great.”

Reita smiled. “You were great.” He kissed Ruki’s forehead and smiled. He waited a few minutes before he sat up, which confused the chestnut.

“What are you doing?”

“Going to get a rag to clean you up.” He said getting off the bed. Ruki watched as he walked across the room to grab his boxers and slip them on. He stepped out of the room, leaving Ruki all to himself which was fine. He didn’t want to move much anyways and he closed his eyes as he waited.  He finally opened them when he heard the door shut and saw Reita walked over with a wet washcloth.  He laughed when the blonde knocked everything of the bed in one swipe and sat down. He rubbed the wet rage across Ruki’s sweaty body to somewhat clean him off. He just wiped down to his thighs then opened his legs up a little. The chestnut flinched.

“I’ll be careful.” Reita whispered as he wiped up the blood and excess lube. When he was done, he tossed the rag to the side and grabbed the other pair of boxers on the floor and slipped them on his lover. He pulled the covers from underneath and laid down next to Ruki before covering them up. He pulled his lover into and kissed his forehead.

Ruki giggled. “It’s a little early for bed, don’t you think?”

“Oh well. We’re spent. I think we, especially you, deserve it.”

“thank you. Goodnight.

“Night, love.”

            Aoi was sitting in the living room with Kai, Miyavi and Uruha’s sisters when Reita had found a note telling him to go to his room. He figured something was up with him and Ruki or something. He just sat in his chair and watched his friends play with the two girls, mostly with Mayu. Right now she was riding on Miyavi’s back pretending he was a horse. Aoi laughed at them while they made fools of themselves, but something was off. Uruha has wondered off after he and Ruki got back from the store earlier. It was dark out and none of them had seen the brunette for a couple of hours. He was getting worried. He waited until the group was too busy to notice him slipping away before he disappeared from the room. He took a trip upstairs and checked the bedroom, but his friend wasn’t there. He made his way back down and past the sisters into the kitchen. Inside he found Kaoru and Kokoro enjoying a glass of wine. He glanced around and looked out the window, but couldn’t see much.

“What’s up?”the butler asked.

“Have you seen Uruha here lately?”

“I saw him walking outside earlier.” She mumbled. “But not since.”

Kaoru hummed. “I remember hearing him talk about the gazebo earlier. Whether or not he’s there…I’m not sure.”

“Thanks.” Aoi nodded his head and slipped out. He put his shoes on and headed out to the side of the house where the white pergola sat. He walked down to it and as he got closer, he saw a form hunch up under it. He walked up to it and stepped inside. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

The brunette looked up and quickly wiped his wet face as he tried to talk like normal. “Why, what’s up?”

Aoi felt a pain in his chest as he sat next to his friend. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re crying, Uru. If something is bothering you just tell me and I’ll try to help you. I’ve told you, I’m here for you.”

The brunette sniffled. “I…I’m just so tired. I wake up every morning exhausted and I can’t sleep all that well anymore. All this…this shit is wearing me down. I thought I could handle it and figure it out, but it’s just so frustrating! I can’t stand feeling this way.”

“What do you mean?”

 _“Aoi,”_ He started to cry. _“I’m so dirty. I’m just a used up toy that’s been tossed around. Fuck! I hate myself. I hate what I’ve become. I hate having sex with strangers. I hate not having money to buy my sisters clothes and food. I hate my mother. I hate my father. I hate myself. I just want it all to end. The sex, the struggling, the pain, the sadness, the confusion…I just want it all to end. I just want to die.”_

“Uruha!” Aoi pulled his friend into a tight hug. “No. Please don’t think like that. I’m here for you. I told you I will take care of everything for you. You won’t have to have sex anymore. I’ll provide you and your sisters clothes and food. You won’t have to struggle anymore. Uru…Kouyou I’ll take care of you so you can rest. So you can live a normal life.”

The brunette pushed him back a shook his head. _“Please just stop! You’re making everything worse! I wish you would just be like everyone else and treat me like shit. If you did…if you did I wouldn’t be feeling like this!”_

“What are you talking about?”

_“It’s all your fault. You make me feel so fucking weird. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just so confusing. You make me feel so different. You make me feel warm and special. I hate it! Why can’t you just treat me like trash too?”_

“Because I care for you. I’m not sorry for making you feel that way. It’s a good thing that you do. You are special and you should never be treated like crap.” He said, rubbed Uruha’s cheek and moved closer. “You make my heart go crazy. Sometimes it beats so hard it hurts and I am not lying. I get so mad when I see someone hurting you or holding you. I should be the one holding you. I’ve become so possessive of you and you have no idea.”

Uruha’s face slowly turned red as he looked away. “You’re not the only one.”

“But you can trust me.” He whispered and the brunette looked back only to get a soft kiss on the lips. He was shocked at first and heat filled his entire body. He could hear his heart beating in his head and when Aoi pulled away, the urge to pull him back took over. Uruha leaned over and hugged the magenta teen as he kissed him. Aoi moaned when he did and felt the brunette’s mouth open so he took that as invite and slide his tongue past his lips. They both dove into the kiss trying to take charge. They breathed heavily as they started to feel each other’s body and leaned over. Aoi fell on his back with Uruha on top of him, kissing him deeply. They both felt their bodies heating up and reacting even stronger in other places. It felt so good to kiss like this. So much passion, energy and love was in it. Uruha opened his eyes and pulled completely off his friend’s body. He slid back and gripped his head as Aoi sat up with a confused expression.

“Uru?”

“Oh god.” He started crying again as he curled up. The magenta teen moved over and hugged him.

“What’s wrong?”

_“I can’t do this Aoi! Fuck, I’m dating Hiroto. I can’t…I can’t do this. I’m not a cheater. What have I done?”_

 “Hey, don’t regret it. I sure as hell don’t. If you enjoyed it then  who cares.”

_“I can’t treat him this way! Even if I don’t love him, I can’t crush him like this!”_

“Shit happens.” Aoi said. “If you’re not in love with him, then don’t date him anymore. I’m not saying this because I want you. I really do, but if I couldn’t make you happy I wouldn’t force you to stay. I would let you go. If he loves you, if he truly cares about you, he’ll be okay as long as you are happy. If you don’t love him, you’re only hurting him more by staying with him.”

“ _I’m so confused. All these different feelings hitting me all at once. I’m so tired of it all.”_

Aoi smiled and kissed the brunette’s forehead. “Love can be like that sometimes.”

Uruha blushed but leaned into the other’s embrace. “Aoi I…I…”

“Don’t dread on it. Take your time thinking about it ok. I’ll wait for your answer.”

The brunette sniffled. “For how long?”

“Until you give me one.”

“Really?”

“Yep. I never go back on my word.”

Uruha sighed. “I’ll try to have the answer soon. For now I’m really tired. Could you…help me inside?”

Aoi helped him stand up and walked with him up to the house. They slid the glass door open, took off their shoes and walked inside. The brunette leaned on him as he lead the way to his bedroom, past the others. They slipped inside the room and Uruha stripped of his shirt and pants before slipping into the bed. The other didn’t say a word as he turned the light off and removed his clothing as well. He slipped into the bed and turned on to his side. It didn’t take but a few seconds before Uruha curled up against him, but he didn’t mind it one bit.

            Kai was sitting on the floor teaching Mayu how to play patty cake and Satomi was watching them. She already knew how to play this game and was helping her little sister practice so she could get better at it. After about ten minutes though, she finally spoke up.

“Miyavi sure is taking a while.”

The brunette scratched his head. “You’re right. I wonder what that big oaf is doing.”

“Didn’t he say he was using the bathroom?”

“Oh no! Is Mimi-chan sick?” Mayu asked. “Whenever nii-chan is in the bathroom for a while, that means he sick. Will you go check on him, please?”

Kai smiled. “Sure, but you have to keep practicing with Satomi ok?”

The two girls nodded and he watched them get started before he headed down the hallway their bedroom was. He checked inside there first, but found it empty. He looked down the hall to see the only door on the left, which was the bathroom, closed. He walked to it and was about to knock when he heard a strange sound coming from inside. It was a light tapping noise. When it stopped he opened the door and gasped when he saw his boyfriend snorting a fine white powder. Miyavi jerked his head up as soon as he heard the door open. He could have sworn he locked it, but now he was staring straight into his lover’s eyes.

“Kai –”

“What do you think you’re doing?” He yelped, slamming the door shut. “There are kids in the house and you’re sniffing cocaine. Where the hell did you get it from? _When_ did you get it?”

“Kai I’m sorry. I can’t help it ok. I need it or I’m going to go crazy.”

“That shit got your brother killed, Miyavi!”

_“You think I don’t know that!”_

“Then why are you still doing it?”

 _“I need it!”_ He yelled. “I need it.”

“No you don’t.” Kai said calmly.

“I want it.” He whimpered. “I don’t want to give it up, it feels too good.”

The brunette glared and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Miyavi, but you only have two choices now. Me or the drugs. You can’t have both. I will not stay and watch you kill yourself.”

Miyavi felt something inside of him break. He didn’t hesitate to grab the bag and when he did, Kai felt his eyes water up. He felt his world shatter and his heart break at the same time. He clenched his fists and looked away because he didn’t want to show his tears. Only when he heard something plop into the toilet did he open his eyes and when he heard it flushing he looked up to see his lover watching his drugs go down. The half blonde looked over at him and started to cry.

“I can’t lose you, Kai. You’re all I have left. The drugs…I don’t know how I’m going to get over them. I’m addicted to them, I can barely go a day without them.” Through his rambling, he didn’t notice the brunette walking up to him until he was being hugged. His body stiffened at first, but he relaxed and hugged back as he started crying. _“I can’t lose you Kai. I can’t.”_

“You won’t.” The brunette pulled away and wiped the tears from his lover’s face. He smiled before he reached up and kissed Miyavi on the lips. The half blonde closed his eyes as he accepted the invitation and returned it. They final had their first kiss with each other. Well first kiss with both of them being awake.


	24. Chapter 24

            Her dark brown eyes shot open as she felt the acid in her stomach rising to her mouth. She jumped up from her bed, ran out of her room, and down the hallway. She ran past Uruha, almost knocking him over as she darted into the bathroom. She ungracefully landed on her knees as she stuck her head in the toilet and began to vomit what little she had in her stomach. The brunette walked in and started rubbing her back until she finished up. As she flushed the toilet, he grabbed one of the small paper cups from the sink and filled it with water her to drink. Kokoro took it with thanks and rinsed her mouth out before standing back up.

“Thanks.” She mumbled as she wiped her mouth.

He nodded as he spoke. “Are you ok? Are you sick?”

She scratched her head. “No. I’m not running a fever or anything, but these past couple of weeks, I’ll wake up some mornings needing to puke. I’ll be fine though.”

“That doesn’t sound all that good. Maybe you should go see a doctor.”

“No need to worry anyone. I’m sure it’s just a bug starting to take effect. Now, why don’t we head downstairs and make everyone breakfast?”

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yes, now let’s, go.” She said with a smile and pulled him out of the bathroom.

            The table was filled with happy voices and laughter as the group ate together. Kai looked over at his boyfriend who was sweating and scowling a bit. His muscles tensed when the brunette touched him, but he looked at Kai and gave a soft smile.

“Are you ok?” He whispered.

Miyavi swallowed hard. “I-I’ll be fine.”

Kai shook his head as he rubbed his boyfriend’s leg.

            Mayu was playing with her food as she looked up at her sister then at Kokoro, who was in a conversation with her brother.  The little girl nibbled on her food as her eyes ventured around the table and landed on her own brother. His face looked as pale as always, his eyes were red and shadows underneath them. Aoi nudged the brunette and smiled, making Uruha smile as well. Her brother looked happy as he took a bite of his meal and started nudging the magenta teen back.

“Mayu, is everything ok?” Kokoro asked.

She looked up at the older woman. “I want to play. I’m full. Will you play with me today?”

“Mayu,” Uruha said softly, “Let her finish eating first.”

She scowled. “But I want to play now!”

“After were done eating.” He said. She huffed before pushing away from the table and jumping out of her chair. “Mayu!”

She ignored him as she ran out of the room. He stood up, ready to go after her, but Aoi grabbed his arm and gave him a sad smile. “Finish eating.”

“I’m done,” Kokoro said as she stood up. “I’ll go talk to her.” She winked at him before turning and walking out. She went to the living room first, but found it empty so she went to the little girl’s room next. Mayu was inside, playing with her dolls and other toys. Kokoro sat down next to her and picked one of the dolls that had on a blue overalls and a straw hat. “What’s this one’s name?”

Mayu took the doll and hugged it as she glared at the older woman. “Don’t touch that one! It’s special, only I’m allowed to hold it.”

“Oh, and why is that?”

“Nii-chan got her just for me. She’s mine and no one is allowed to have her but me.”

“I see, well, what dolls can I play with then?”

Mayu looked around before handing over a white bear. “driver nii-chan got it for me. Satomi has one too, so it’s not so special.”

“Well, I believe it’s very special.”

“Why do you say that?” Mayu asked.

“Because it was a gift. Any gift is special because it shows that the person really cares for you. It doesn’t matter if it was a teddy bear or a fat stack of money, it’s the thought that goes into it. So just because Satomi got one too doesn’t mean it’s not special. He thought of both of you when he got them.”

Mayu yanked the bear back and held it close with a scowl. “Then I guess you can’t play with any of my toys.”

“Can I watch you play?”The young girl shrugged her shoulders as she set the items down and continued moving her other toys around. Kokoro smiled as she rubbed the little one’s head. “Can I ask you something?”

“I guess.” She mumbled.

“Why are you so mean to your brother sometimes?”

Mayu stopped playing and looked up at Kokoro. “I don’t mean to be. I just get so mad sometimes and it’s his fault.”

“How is his fault?”

“He leaves us.” She said quietly and sniffled. “Mommy always left us alone and he was always there to protect and make it less scary, but now he’s turning out like her. He goes out all night and leaves us all alone. He does things for mommy even though she’s so mean to us.”

“What does your mommy do?” Kokoro asked rubbing the young girl’s back.

“She likes to hit us and throw things at us. When I’m hungry, she ignores me and sucks up white stuff with her nose. When Kouyou is home he’ll cook for me or make me something to eat. When they argue, she often says she should ‘use us’ instead. I don’t understand what she’s talking about, but Kouyou always seems to give up after that and does whatever she wants him too.” Mayu picked up the doll with overalls and hugged it. “She usually has guys with her and they take nii-chan into her room and we have to go to oji-san.”

“Do you know what they do?”

She leaned closer to the brunette. “I don’t know, but one time they came over and nii-chan didn’t have money and they started pulling his clothes off. He was yelling at us to leave as they started rubbing against him. It was scary, but oji-san came and made the men leave. Now Kouyou doesn’t even come home until morning but then he leaves again before he we go to school.”

“Well, he has to go to school, too. His classes just start earlier.”

“I know that, but he’s just always gone now. He’s always crying and sick.”

“He’s going through a lot right now. By the sound of it, your mother doesn’t take care of you guys, so he does. He…works for the money to get you food, so you have a place to stay, and to get you toys like these. He’s always thinking about you and Satomi. You two are his reason to keep going and to hang on. You have to believe in him and try not to be so mad. What he’s doing, is for the two of you and I bet you anything that nothing hurts him more than you being upset with him.”

“Am I a bad person?” Mayu asked so very softly.

“Of course not. You’re just too young to understand the outside world. One day you will and you’ll be so very thankful of your brother.”

“But I hurt him. I make him cry.”

Kokoro smiled as she moved the hair out of the young girl’s face. “I’m sure that you going to him and hugging him with a smile will make up for it all. Tell him that you love him and that you’re sorry. He’ll understand and he’ll forgive you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he loves you.”She smiled. “Now, how about you go back in there and show him that you love him too.”

Mayu shook her head as she got to her feet and ran out of the room. Kokoro walked to the dining room to see the little girl jumping onto her brother’s lap and hugging him tightly. He smiled and hugged her tightly as she apologized. Satomi turned in her chair and looked at the brunette with a smile.

            The day moved on with Mayu playing with her brother and making him smile. It eventually led to them falling asleep on the floor curled up together. Aoi brought out a blanket and covered them up as everyone quietly left the room. Kokoro was heading into the kitchen when Satomi tugged on her shirt. She turned with a smile.

“What’s up?”

“Could we talk…in private?”

“Sure.” She said and the teen grabbed her hand and lead her out of the house and down to the dock. They removed their shoes to dip their feet into the water as they sat on the edge.  “What’s up?”

“I’m scared.” She whispered.

“Why?”

Satomi took a deep breath. “I’m worried that one day I’ll wake and Kouyou won’t be there anymore. That it will just be me and Mayu to deal with my mom. I’m scared that what he’s doing is going to get him killed. I know what he does so we can have food and shelter. I just wish I could in some way so he wouldn’t push himself so much.”

Kokoro smiled. “I think just doing your best in school and helping with chores would be enough for him.”

Satomi shook her head. “No it’s not. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, or pray, or anything, nothing helps. Things are not getting better, if anything they’re getting worse. Some days I just want to take Mayu and run away. I just want to run and never look back. However, if I do that, it would tear my brother apart. He’s already on the verge of falling completely apart and I don’t want to be the cause of that.”

The older woman smiled. “You’re brother is going through so much right now. Do you know what makes him so strong?” She waited a moment before going on. “The thought of the two of you having a happy future. That’s why he tries so hard and forces his body to go through such stress. It’s for the happiness of the two of you.” She laid on her back and stared up at the clouds. “My mother died when we were kids and my father was devastated. And the day after, Akira became really sick and had to be in a hospital for a long time. My father became an alcoholic.”

Satomi looked down at Kokoro as she continued her story. “He got arrested, lost his job at the time and almost lost custody of us. One day, Akira…almost died. He tried to kill himself and that somehow opened my father’s eyes. He couldn’t be this man that neglected his children and broke the law. He had to get back on steady path and provide for us so that he could face our mother again someday.  He struggled for the longest time because all the bills piled up including Akira’s medical bills. We were in a bind for a while, but eventually my father was able to push through and final get use stabilized. It took years to get out of debt, but he did it.”

“So you’re saying that it’ll be ok someday?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Satomi laid down next to her and they stared up at the slowly moving clouds. The wind blew softly around them , rustling the trees branches and helping the birds glide in the sky. The teen took a deep breath and sighed. “You know, I got accepted into this private school. I even got a scholarship for it.”

“That’s amazing!” Kokoro smiled at her. “I bet your brother is really proud of you.”

“He is, but even with it, we can’t really afford it. The scholarship doesn’t cover dorms, food, or clothes. That’s one of the reasons he’s working so hard. Going out at night and working on the streets. To buy Mayu toys and to pay for my school next year. The is though, I’m scared of going.”

“Why is that?”

“Because, I’ll be leaving them to deal with everything by themselves. Mayu will be by herself and will have to take care of herself when Kouyou isn’t around. She’ll have to face my mother alone. I feel like I’m leaving her behind and it’s not fair for her.”

“Kouyou wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Plus, I’ll be here.” Kokoro said as she sat up and looked at her reflection in the water. “I haven’t told Akira yet, but I’m moving back home soon. I’ll be there to help Mayu when she needs it and when Kouyou needs it. So go and learn. This school will open so many doors for you and give you the chance get ahead in life. With it you’ll be able to help Kouyou.”

Satomi sat up. “I want to be able to take care of Kouyou. Do you really think I can do it?”

“I know you can. You’re smart, caring, and creative. It’ll just take a little more time and patience.”

The younger looked down at their reflections in the water as their feet made rings when they moved. She watched a cloud go by and fish swim under them. She looked at Kokoro’s reflection to see her smiling softly. She looked at herself in the water. She had the same eyes and lips as her brother, but her nose looked different than his, however she looked like a younger version of him. She smiled thinking of him. “You know…Kouyou doesn’t smile that much. When he does, it’s usually because Aoi is around.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Aoi’s helped us a lot you know. He’s given us clothes and food, plus he’s let us stay with him once. It was nice to sleep in a bed by myself for once.”

“I take it you and your sister share a room too.”

“All three of share a room. We sleep on the bed and Kouyou sleeps on the floor. It’s really crowded and it gets really annoying, but we have no choice. Mayu is still growing and so am I, so the bed is starting to get small. Everything is beginning to get small. Aoi’s mother bought us new clothes and I am so happy she did because mine were not only falling apart, but I’m starting to outgrow them. Home and his family has done so much for us. Mayu keeps asking is Aoi is going to be our new brother or if we’re going to start living with him. It sweet, but sad at the same time.”

“I can see why, but maybe someday you can live with him. You never know.”

“Yeah.” Satomi mumbled. “Hey Kokoro?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks, for listening and, well, talking to me.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’ll be here whenever you need me ok”

            Ruki was laying on his stomach on the bed drawing in his moleskin when Reita walked in and sat on the edge. He looked at the picture of Uruha and Aoi smiling on the page. The younger looked up at him and smiled. Reita leaned down and kissed his lips as he placed his hand on his lover’s back.

“How are you feeling?”

Ruki chuckled. “I’m pleasantly sore.”

“Are you sure I wasn’t too rough? You haven’t been out of bed all day.”

“I’m fine, but I’d feel better if you’d lay next to me and hug me.”

The blonde laughed softly as he crawled next the younger and waited for the chestnut to lay onto him. Ruki snuggled up against him as his arms wrapped around the small body. Reita kissed his lover’s forehead, then his nose, and last his lips.

“I love you Rei.”

“I love you, too, Ru.”

            Uruha woke up holding his baby sister in his arms and a blanket draped over their bodies. He carefully and quietly, pushed himself up leaving his sister alone on the floor. He moved the blanket back over her before walking out into the kitchen where he found Kaoru cooking on the stove. Aoi was pouring himself a glass of coke as he walked through the doorway.

“Could you pour me some?” He muttered.

Aoi turned and smiled to him before nodding. He pulled down a second glass and filled it up with the soda then handed it over. “Is she still sleeping?”

“Yeah. I should probably wake her up.”

“Dinner will be done in about fifteen minutes.” Kaoru said.

The brunette nodded as he took a drink and turned around and left with Aoi following close behind. “Hey Uru,”

“What?” He stopped in his tracks and looked at the magenta teen.

“You look beautiful today.”

The brunette blushed as his heart sped up. “Thank you.”

Aoi stepped closer and rubbed his friend’s neck before he leaned in closer. He planted a soft kiss on Uruha’s heated cheek and started to pull away. The brunette moved forward and caught Aoi’s lips with his own, surprising the older teen. He melted into the kiss and pushed more into it as the magenta teen pulled him closer. He moaned out slightly as the kiss became more heated and their bodies pushed against each other. Then suddenly Aoi pulled away, leaving the brunette breathless and red, but he held on to the younger’s neck as he lightly massaged it.

“Is the answer getting closer?”Aoi asked.

“Are you rushing me?”

“No, but you’re kiss was very enjoyable.”

Uruha blushed. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” The older one giggled.

“I feel like I’m leading you on. I get the urges…and I shouldn’t be getting them. I’m terrible.” He whimpered, laying his head on his friend’s shoulder.

“No you’re not. You’re just confused. Listen, we won’t do this anymore until you’ve made up your mind ok. I just really wanted to kiss you just then so don’t take it as me rushing you for an answer or anything.”

Uruha shook his head as he stepped back with a smile. “Thank you.”

            Kai watched as Miyavi sat on the bed, biting his thumb nail as his legs continued to shake the bed. “Miya, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I-I’m fine” The half blonde mumbled with a smile. He rubbed his hand on his face to rid of the sweat on it. He groaned as he hugged himself and laid on his side. Mild panic went through Kai’s mind as he sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on his lover’s shoulder. Miyavi looked at him with a smile. “I am kind of hurting a little. Maybe I should stay here for a while.”

The brunette shook his head. “No problem. Do you need anything?”

“I’m so hungry!” He called out with a goofy smile but then cringed. Kai helped him lay more comfortably on the bed and covered him up. “Kai!” He whined. “Get me some food, please.”

“Dinner is almost ready. I’ll bring you a plate okay.”

Miyavi shook his. “Hey Kai.”

“Yes?”

“Drugs.” He sighed. “There are more drugs in my bag. Could you throw them in the toilet please?”

Kai looked at him with wide eyes before going into his lover’s bag and digging through it. Inside he found a baggy that had a pill container, vile and a needle. “What are these Miyavi?”

“PCP and some Heroin. I’m sorry Kai. I am so, so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.” Miyavi covered his face as tears started pouring out. “ _I’m so stupid. Please, I’m sorry.”_

The brunette sighed, but took the items to the bathroom quickly, he poured the pills into the toilet, then broken the vile in the sink. He cleaned up the glass before rinsing the sink out, then tossed the needle in the trash. He tied up the bag and threw it into the big trashcan outside before he went back to his room. Miyavi was laying in the same spot so he sat next to his lover.

“Are there anymore drugs here with us?” He asked calmly.

“N-no.” The half blonde sniffled. “ _I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t want you getting mad at me again, but I’m starting to crave them and I didn’t want to think about them.”_

“It’s ok Miyavi. It’s all going to be ok.” He said laying next to his boyfriend and hugging him tightly.

            A soft tapping caught their attention and Aoi stepped in. “Hey dinner’s ready.”

“Are you ok to go and eat or do you want me to bring it to you?” Kai asked.

Miyavi sniffled. “It hurts to move.”

“I’ll bring it here then, I’ll be right back.” He placed a kiss on his lover’s head before walking out the magenta teen.

“What’s going on? Is he ok? Does he need a hospital?”

The brunette sighed as he stopped in his tracks. “No. I caught him doing drugs in the house and one thing led to another. Now he’s starting to detox.”

“You could have gave us a warning man.” Aoi sighed.

“Sorry, it all happened so fast. Anyways, let’s get some food.”

            Kai made two plates, one for him and one for Miyavi and took to the back room for them to eat. Which left Aoi to explain to them all about what was going on with their friends as they started eating.

“Oh wow, I can’t believe Kai got him to stop cold turkey.” Reita said. “Isn’t that bad though?”

“Not exactly.” Kokoro said. “He’ll need a lot of help. Kai needs to understand that Miyavi is going to be going through hell and he may seem like a different person for a while. We’ll all need to help them out while we’re here.”

“Mimi-chan is sick?” Mayu asked.

“Yes, he’s very sick right now.” Uruha said. “It might be best for you to not bother him okay Mayu. He won’t be himself for a while.”

The young girl smiled and shook her head as they continued to eat. Kokoro swallowed a mouthful when her stomach churned. Her mouth began to water and she felt the blood drain from her face. Reita looked up at his sister and saw a horrified expression.

“Sis?”

She jumped to her feet, knocking the chair over as she ran out of the dining room. Kaoru went to go after her, but was pushed out of the way when Reita ran past him. She made a mad dash to the bathroom where she fell on her knees and puked into the toilet. Reita dropped next to her and held her hair up as he rubbed her back. Everyone gathered outside the door to make sure she was ok.

“Are you okay?” Kaoru asked.

“Does it look like she’s okay?” The blonde snapped at the man making him flinch. Uruha made his way in, pushing through them. He filled a glass of water and wetted a rag with cold water. He knelt beside his friend.

“Kokoro, drink some water.” He quietly ordered. She sat up gasping, but took the glass from him and sipped on it as he wiped her face with the rag. “I thinks time you and I went to the store.”


	25. Chapter 25

            Kokoro looked down at the bathroom sink at the second white stick forming a plus sign in the circle at the end. She bit her thumb nail as she stepped closer to it and stared at it for a few minutes. She didn’t know how this could have happened to her, well she does know _how_ it happens, but she always made sure Kaoru used a condom. She bit her lip as her eyes filled with the salty liquid and she felt tremors go through her body. She let out a whimper and began to cry as she gripped the sink counter. Her shoulders shook and she fell to her knees as she gripped the two sticks.

            The group of boys continued stuffing their faces with breakfast in the living room as they continued to watch the soccer game on the tv. Reita looked at his boyfriend who was laying his head on the blonde’s shoulder as he ate his last few bites. He looked up at his lover and smiled with a blush on his cheeks. Reita leaned down to kiss the soft lips when they suddenly heard the sound of glass breaking from down the hall. They set their plates t the side as they stood up and headed down to the Miyavi’s room. Aoi pushed the ajar door fully open and spotted the half blonde curled in a ball on the bed. To his left he found Kai picking up shards of glass from the carpet.

“Is everything okay?” Reita asked as he pushed his way in. The brunette looked up with a red face streams of water rolling down his cheek.

“I-I’m okay. Please don’t be mad at him. He’s just in a lot of pain.”He spoke softly. Aoi looked at his friend on the bed who was shaking and clenching his own arms. He sighed as he knelt to help clean up the mess and the other three moved closer to join them.

            Kokoro had wiped her face as best as she could when she determined that she had wasted enough time in all of this. She straightened up and grabbed the white sticks before she headed out of the room. She walked straight through the living room and into the kitchen where she found her lover washing dishes.

“K-Kaoru.”She whimpered, her voice not be as strong as she wanted it to be.

He turned with a smile, but it disappeared when he saw her distressed face. “What’s wrong?”

“We…I have to tell you something. I’m scared to be honest… I don’t want you to leave me.”

He moved closer and placed his hands on her shoulders as he smiled. “What’s with this kind of talk? I would never leave you, Kokoro.”

She sniffled a bit. “Not even if…I was pregnant?”

“What?”He tensed up, his eyes widen and jaw slacked. She held out the white sticks to show him the positive signs on them. He shook his head and took a step back. “Is the child…his?”

“No.” She whispered with a sad smile. “We haven’t had sex since I started my affair with you. Kaoru, you’re the only one. You are the father.”

He let out a soft gasp and smiled. “I’m going to be a dad? I’m going to be a dad!”

“Shh!” She giggled. “They’ll hear you.”

His smile grew even bigger and he started jump a little bit. “Sorry, but oh my god, Kokoro! We’re going to have a child.”

She started laughing as her boyfriend started pacing with excitement and yelping out a high pitch voice. He jumped into the air before he ran to her and grabbed her arms to pull her into a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed into the kiss. She felt her body finally relax for the first time since Kouyou mentioned she might be pregnant. How the kid figured that out before she did is beyond her. It didn’t matter though because her biggest fear was Kaoru rejecting the kid, but he did the complete opposite. The guy was acting like a child going to an amusement park. She was on cloud nine that is until she heard glass hit the floor. They broke from the kiss and she turned to see her younger brother standing in the doorway with wide eyes. His friends walked in past him and looked at him funny. Aoi looked between them before speaking up.

 “What’s going on?”

“Why…Kokoro?” Reita whispered.

She sighed. “I need to speak with my brother alone please.”

            They group left the kitchen and the two siblings sat down the table across from each other. Reita fiddled with his fingers a bit before glancing up at his sister who was smiling sadly at him. “Akira, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a long time. Dad already knows. I didn’t come home to visit. I’m moving back. I’m getting a divorce.”

“But you and Jiro…I thought you two were happy together.”

“We were at first, but neither one of us wanted this marriage. We only did it to make our parents happy. Jiro knows about my affair and he was having one too, so we decided to end this while we still could. I have been in love with Kaoru since as about as long as you and Aoi have been friends.”

“Does dad know about you and Kaoru then?”

“Yes, I told him everything, well except what about to tell you next. I’m pregnant with Kaoru’s child.”

Reita gave a slight smile. “It’s just so much to take in at once.”

“I know, but think about me, Akira. I’m happy with him and that’s all I care about. It doesn’t matter if you’re happy or not because this is my life and I’m going to live it how I want to. Please understand that.”

“I understand.” He mumbled. “I’m happy for you really.”

“Good.” She said with a smile. “Because I want you to be happy, too. Come on, let’s go break the news to everyone.”

            After breaking the news to everyone else Kokoro and Kaoru was left alone to discuss how things were going to be from now on. Reita and Ruki decided to go for another swim in the lake as Aoi and Uruha played some videogames in the living room. Kai broke the news to Miyavi before leaving him alone to rest for a bit. However, the brunette soon returned out of worry to lay with him. Miyavi slept quietly as Kai laid next to him, rubbing his head and humming. After a couple of hours, the half blonde groaned and as he stirred awake.

“Kai.” He mumbled. “…don’t…good.”

“What? Miyavi are you okay?”

“Stomach…”

The brunette’s mind suddenly went into hyper-drive. “Hold it in! Bathroom!” He shouted as he practically pulled his boyfriend from the bed and dragged him out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom. They both fell onto the floor and Miyavi pulled himself over the toilet just in time as he vomited. Kai sat up and rubbed his back.

“I need to get a bucket in your room.” He mumbled.

Miyavi winced. “Maybe I’m pregnant.” He chuckled, but groaned afterwards.

“Don’t make jokes right now.”

“Kai, it hurts…so much. Please make it stop.” The half blonde whimpered and started to cry. It broke the brunette’s heart and he leaned on his lover’s back as he started to cry too.

            Kai finally got Miyavi back into bed soon after and started wiping his head with a rag. The whole time, the half blond was groaning, crying, and yelling in pain. He yelled out in a hoarse voice and grabbed Kai’s arm. “Pl…please, Kai…I can’t…can’t take this. Drugs…I need drugs.”

“No” The brunette said sternly. “No, you don’t. Miyavi you are stronger than this, so don’t give in. Just hold out a little longer. Please, I know you can do this.”

“ _No! Give me my drugs!”_ Miyavi screamed.

“No!” Kai yelled back and was rewarded with a smack on the face. He stared wide eyed as Miyavi pushed his body onto his own. They fell back onto the floor with Miyavi holding Kai’s shoulders.

“ _Give them to me!”_ He started shaking Kai’s body. “Give me them now!”

The brunette started crying harder than ever before and those tears seemed to have snapped something inside his lover. Before he could react, he was yanked off and thrown onto the bed. He yelped in pain and curled into a ball.

“Are you okay?” Kokoro asked as she knelt next to Kai.

“I’m sorry.” Miyavi whimpered. “I’m so sorry. Kai…please I’m so…so sorry. Please…sorry….help…I’m sor…Kai…”

The brunette stood up and moved past Kaoru, who had made himself into a wall between them. He laid onto the bed and held his whimpering boyfriend. “Shh, it’s okay Miya. It’s okay.”

“I…I didn’t mean…”

“I know. Just rest now okay. Just rest.” He whispered, rubbing Miyavi’s head.

“I’m so… cold, Kai.”

Kaoru looked over at the doorway to see the other boys looking in, ready to take action if they needed to. “Aoi, go up to the attic and get extra blankets will you.”

The magenta haired teen nodded. Uruha walked behind him. “I’ll help you.”

            The brunette followed his friend all the way up to the attic and started to maneuver to the back where the extra blankets were. “Hey Aoi”

“Hmm?”

“Umm…never mind.” Uruha mumbled.

“What is it Uru?”

“I just…thanks for everything, you know.”

“Hey it’s no problem really.”

“You’ve helped us out so much and—”

“We’ve already talked about this.” Aoi said with a smile. “Hey, the blankets are right over here.”

Uruha followed him further in and found the pink haired teen grabbing two comforters. The brunette reached over to grab one as Aoi walked through the towers of boxes. As they handed off, the blanket hit and box and tipped it over spilling the contents.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” Uruha sighed.

“It’s alright, just some pictures. Let’s go.”

“No we better clean it up.” He and put down the blankets and started picking up the photos. Uruha couldn’t help but look at some of them and smile at how cute baby Aoi was. The magenta teen snorted as he picked one up.

“I remember this.” He showed a picture of him and his cousin with fishing poles. “So we go down to the lake at my cousin’s house and we’re all ready to catch some dinner for our moms. Well we get down to the lake and we find a bunch of girls skinny dipping. It was our first time seeing a naked woman before. We screamed and ran back to his house. I don’t know why we did it, but I tell you we missed a great opportunity at the time.”

Uruha chuckled. “What about this one?” He showed Aoi a picture of a young boy in power ranger shorts holding a doll.

Aoi smirked. “Hey that was a great show.”

“Did you even understand what they were saying?”

“Did I need to? It was a bunch of teenagers kicking monster ass. It was awesome.”

The brunette smiled. “What about the doll.”

“Oh, you know. I was a kid, I was allowed to play with anything.”

“You’re adorable.”

“Okay, you peaked into my past, when we get back I get to see all of you childhood pictures!” Aoi laughed, but stopped when he saw Uruha’s frown. “Uru…”

“We don’t have any pictures. I have no idea what I even looked like as a child.”

“Oh Uru…” Aoi mumbled. He moved close to his friend and wrapped an arm around him. The brunette snuggled against him. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Let’s head back downstairs.” Aoi said. They gathered the rest of the photos and dumped them back into the box, but one slipped from the pile and fell back onto the floor. Uruha picked it back up and gave it a quick glance. Curiosity got the best of him.

“Hey, Aoi, who are these people?” He said, showing the couple holding a two year old boy. “Is that you, they’re holding?”

The magenta teen took the picture and stared at it. The woman had long raven hair and deep brown eyes. He stared at it closer and saw that the baby was himself. The two people in the picture looked so familiar but he could place them. He didn’t know who they were. “I…I’ve never seen them before.”

“Maybe distant relatives?”

“I don’t know.”

Uruha took the photo, “The man looks a lot like Kaoru.”

“He does…”Aoi mumbled as he started walked away. Uruha grabbed the blankets and followed him back down.

            Kaoru scratched his face as his watched Reita sit on a chair in the corner of the room. Miyavi was still crying, but he snuggled up against his lover. Kokoro had left the room to keep Satomi and Mayu busy for a while. Soon, Aoi stomped inside and walked straight to Kaoru. He held the photo up into the butler’s face.

“Who are they?” Aoi asked.

“What…”

“Who? Who are they? Why are they holding me?”

Uruha walked past them with his head down and over to Kai to cover them up. Kaoru sighed as he waved for the magenta teen to follow him out as to not disturb the others anymore. They headed out to the porch where it was quiet.

“That would be my older brother and his wife.” Kaoru said solemnly.

“Why are they holding me?”

“My brother…was friends with your parents, it’s how I got this job. They were good friends and we often had lunch dates. This particular one, they were playing with you and I decided to get a picture you three together.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve never met them. You never told us you had a brother.”

“No, your parents knew about him I promise, they were good friends.” Kaoru sighed. “The drive home…on the way home from this date,” he said pointing at the photo, “they got into a wreck and they both died.”

Aoi looked down at the picture. “Are you…sure?”

“Of course I am! That was brother!”

“Sorry. Do you mind if…I keep this?”

Kaoru narrowed his eyes slightly but the teen didn’t notice, he was too busy staring at the photo. “Sure, it’s yours in the first place.”

Aoi looked up at him. “These people…”

Kaoru waited for him to finish, but when realized the teen wasn’t going to continue, he grabbed Aoi’s shoulder. “Let’s head back in.”

‘These people…I know them for sure.’ Aoi thought. ‘I know them.’


	26. Chapter 26

            The last few days at the lake house went by in a flash. Miyavi seemed to be recovering by the last day there. He was now walking and helping pack up the car, though he had to sit down and rest for a little while. He still looked in pain sometimes and Kai made sure he rested whenever he did. Ruki was limping to the car with a blushed face as Reita walked happily behind him. They let Miyavi get in first so he could lay down and get comfortable then the two lover’s popped in on the other side so Ruki could lay on his side. Kai waited by the door as watched Aoi walked with Uruha, his arm around the brunette’s waist. In front of them were Mayu and Satomi playing tag along the way. The two girls jumped into the limo, then Kai stepped in to sit near his boyfriend. As they neared the car, Aoi looked around to make sure no one was looking before sneaking a small peck on Uruha’s cheek. His classmate’s face flushed a deep red.

            Aoi looked over at Kaoru, who was holding Kokoro in his arms, kissing her near her car. He sighed. Their vacation was over and it was time to get back home. Back to reality of life and school. Life truly sucked sometimes, but he needed to move on with the day. The slipped into the limo and closed the door behind them.

“Thanks Aoi-nii!” Mayu shouted. “I had so much fun!”

“It was the best vacation I’ve ever had.” Reita giggled rubbing against Ruki who smiled and nodded in agreement.

“No problem guys. I’m just glad you all came.”

The driver’s door opened up and Kaoru got inside. “Ready to head home?”

“No.” They said in unison and laughed.

“To bad kiddies,” The older man laughed. “You can’t stay here forever.”

“I wish we could.” Uruha mumbled with a smile. They all smiled quietly nodding their heads in agreement. Kaoru started up the car and began their journey back home. Satomi and Mayu sat on the floor to play with the toys they were given. Kai rubbed Miyavi’s head as he hummed softly to help the young teen fall asleep. He was so easily tired doing everyday things, but he was slowly getting better. Uruha’s eyes began to droop as he listened to his friend hum. He brought his legs up onto the seat and leaned onto Aoi’s body. The magenta teen wrapped his arm around the brunette and held him close. Uruha closed his eyes as cuddled against his friend. Satomi poked her sister to point at her brother and the two began giggling. Reita took notice and looked over in the same direction and smiled. He planted a soft kiss of Ruki’s head before sitting back in his seat to relax.

            It was quiet the whole ride home. They all eventually fell into a nice peaceful slumber. Mayu had cuddle up against her sister as they sat next to Kai and Miyavi. Mayu had grabbed the half blonde’s hand, which was hanging off the seat, at some point and was holding it tightly in her own. Aoi had moved himself to lean against the window and hold Uruha’s body against his own. He held the brunette protectively as they dreamed about better days. Ruki’s face furrowed when he felt a sharp in his shoulder. He opened his eyes as he grabbed what was hurting him and found Reita’s hand there. He looked up to see the blonde asleep but he looked like he was in pain. His face was in a scowl, sweating and he was crying. It only took one word for Ruki to know what was going on.  
“M…mom.” He muttered. Ruki sat up and grabbed his lover’s face.

“Rei, wake up. You need to wake up, it’s only a dream.”

“Mom…no.” He whimpered, but his eyes shot open and he grabbed his head. “No!”

Everyone jolted awake from the scream and was greeted by Reita falling onto the floor, taking Ruki with him. The blonde curled up into a ball as he started yelling for help. Ruki grabbed the blonde’s shoulders and started shaking him.

“Reita it’s only a dream. You’re okay!” Ruki shouted as Kai pushed the two girls to get them away from him in case something happened.

“What’s going on back there?” Kaoru shouted from the front. He looked in his rearview mirror to see in the back but couldn’t see much except their heads. “Is everything alright?”

“Pull over!” Aoi shouted as he dropped to the floor and started to shake the blonde with Ruki. “Man snap out of it, you’re ok. Come on Akira!”

The blonde kept screaming as he thrashed around, kicking anything nearby. The limo came to a complete stop and behind it, Kokoro pulled her car over. She jumped out and ran up to the door as Kaoru did the same. They opened it to see Reita having a panic attack. Kokoro stepped inside and quickly pushed the teens away from him and sat next to him. She grabbed his upper torso and hugged him tightly.

“Shh, Aki, shh. You’re okay. Think of better days, Akira. It’s okay now. Please Akira, calm down.” She spoke softly as she rocked his body back and forth with her own. She held him tightly to her body and the more she talked, the calmer he became. He gasped for air several times, but his breathing began to steady. His body became limp as he shook in her arms. His flushed face was covered in sweat, tears, and snot. His eyes grew wide and he brought his hand to his mouth as his body tensed. “He’s going to be sick.”

Aoi helped her drag him to the door where he hung his head out and vomited. Kokoro rubbed his back as he coughed and lurched more. Ruki sat in the same spot in shock from the scene. He didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t able to help his lover when he needed it. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He only made it worse.

“Ru…where’s Ru?” Reita muttered between coughs.

The younger jolted and crawled over to his lover. “I’m here.”

Reita reached back and grabbed the brunette’s hand. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Ru.”

“It’s okay. It’s alright.”

They pulled him inside and allowed him to lay on his back. He was still shuttering from crying and he covered his face with his arm trying to hide his emotions. Ruki laid next to him and hugged him tightly. The brunette buried his face into Reita’s shoulder as the blonde moved his other arm to hug his lover’s body.

“Lay down on the seat.” Kokoro said softly, patting her brother’s leg. For a moment he didn’t move. Ruki sat up and rubbed shoulder softly, urging him to sit up. Reita wiped his face as best as he could before sitting up. Ruki sat on the seat and patted his own thigh.

“Lay down Rei, I’ll rub your head for you.”

The blonde blushed a deep red, but did as was told. He laid on the set, curling up into a ball on his side and laid his head on Ruki’s legs. His back was facing the group, but he didn’t want to see their faces right now. He closed his eyes once he felt the small fingers gliding over his scalp.

            Kaoru looked down when Kokoro grabbed his hand and squeezed it. She was worried sick about her brother. He pulled his hand away, but pulled her into a tight hug. “He’s okay now. There’s nothing to worry about.”

She hugged him back and closed her eyes. “I know.”

“We better get going now if we want to make it before nightfall.”

She looked in at her brother one more time before nodding. “I’ll be right behind you.”

With that she headed back to her car. Kaoru looked back in to find Mayu sitting in Uruha’s lap hugging him as he rubbed her back. Satomi was sitting next to them and Aoi sat back down on the other side. He took a deep breath before closing the door and heading back to the driver’s seat at the front.

            It was a few hours later when they arrived back in their home town. It was about an hour before night fall when they pulled up in front of Reita’s home. Kokoro parked in the drive way as the boys slipped out of the car groggily. Reita and Ruki both hugged Aoi and thanked him for the trip before Kaoru drove away with them.

“I guess I better be heading home.” Ruki mumbled and he turned to start walking away, but Reita grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Why don’t you stay the night? It’s late anyways.”

The brunette looked over at Kokoro who was smiling at them from her car. He looked back at his lover and shrugged. “I guess, why not?”

Reita smiled before taking his boyfriend’s bag and leading him up to the house where his sister joined them. As they stepped in she started talking about making dinner, in the mean time they could go ahead and take their baths. So the two lovers went up to the room and unpacked for the evening. Reita hugged Ruki from behind and kissed behind his ear.

“Let’s shower together.”

Ruki smiled and nodded his head as he grabbed his things and followed the blonde out of the room. They headed down the hall to the bathroom where they closed the door and started undressing. Reita started the shower for them before looking over at his lover. The brunette was standing fully naked, one arm across his chest holding the other, and his face was a light pink. The blonde moved closer and kissed Ruki on the lips before whispering.

“You’re beautiful.”

The younger shivered before smiling at him. “Rei…would it be inappropriate if we…”

“In the shower?” Reita questioned with a soft smile. “of course not.”

“But your sister…she’s right downstairs.”

“She won’t hear us.” The blonde mumbled as he rubbed against Ruki’s body. “As long as we’re not too loud.”

            The limo stopped in front of Uruha’s apartment and the brunette sighed. He looked over at Aoi with a smile. “Thank you for this trip. I really needed it.”

The magenta smiled back. “It’s no problem. Why don’t I walk you up the stairs?”

“If you want to.” Uruha mumbled. Aoi nodded as he got up and opened the door for him and his sisters.

“Hey, Kaoru, I’ll be a minute. I’m walking them up.” Aoi announced before closing the door and grabbing Uruha’s side. They walked slowly as the two sisters laughed and ran up the steps. They made their way up and all the way to the apartment door where Uruha slowly unlocked it to let them in. Once the door opened they all hesitated to enter. A cold chill went through the brunette’s body, but he stepped in first, then his sisters, and then Aoi. Uruha looked around the apartment to find it strangely empty, but relaxed when he realized that his mother was not home.

“Go unpack.” The brunette said towards his sisters and they took off down to their room as he turned to face Aoi. “Thank you again. I really can’t say it enough.”

The magenta’s soft smile fell, but kept looking with eyes with love. He reached out and rubbed Uruha’s cheek. “Uru…”

“Hmm?”

“Could I…kiss you?”

The brunette blushed a deep red. He knew he shouldn’t, he was dating Hiroto. Everything in his gut told him it would be wrong, but his head and his chest were both saying yes! He swallowed as he made his choice and nodded his head. Aoi stepped closer, bringing his other hand to cup the other side of his friend’s cheek. They both closed their eyes as he moved closer and ever so slightly brushed his lips against the brunette’s. Uruha froze for a moment before fireworks shot off in his body. He wrapped his arms around the Aoi’s neck and deepened the kiss. Aoi slipped his tongue past the brunette’s lips and took over. He peeked an eye open enough to be able to guide them over to the couch where they fell on it. The magenta teen landed on top as he began to feel down Uruha’s sides. Aoi pulled his mouth away and began sucking down the pale neck and biting it. The brunette moaned out as he bucked his hips against the other teen. Aoi moved his hand down and unbuckled the brunette’s jeans before slipping his hand in. Uruha gasped as he felt his member being stroked by Aoi’s rough hands. He clenched the older teen’s shoulders as he bucked his hips again.

“More.” He gasped. Aoi leaned down and captured his lips again. He massaged the hardening cock like he would to his own. He pulled his mouth away and started kissing down Uruha’s neck again, but this time he kept moving down. He slid his body all the way down so he sat between the brunette’s open legs. He pulled his hand out only to pull Uruha’s pants down further, showing of his hard cock. The brunette shuttered as he looked into Aoi’s hungry eyes.

“Aoi…you don’t have to…”

“Shh, just enjoy for once.” The magenta teen mumbled. He lowered his body and gripped the swollen member in his hand. He gave it a few good strokes before placing his plump lips over the head. Uruha closed his eyes and gasped at the sensation. Aoi swirled his tongue around as he made a sucking motion with his mouth. He slowly pumped the shaft as he started taking more in. Then he pulled up and went back down, bobbing his head slowly to get used to the feeling. Uruha brought a finger to his mouth and bit it as his other hand gripped the magenta head at his hips. He let gasps and moans as Aoi continued to get faster. He sucked harder as he took in a little more. He gripped Uruha’s hips with both hands to hold down the jerking motions. He quickly took all of the cock into his mouth, tugging at it, sucking it, playing with it with his tongue. He pulled off before going back to nibble on the head. All while Uruha was trying to keep his voice down and his hips from thrusting up. His breathing was erratic and sweat was slicking his face and torso. He was getting hotter with each passing second.

“A-Aoi I can’t…any longer…oh god…” Uruha finally whimpered out. He reached down with his other hand to grab the pink hair as he started tensing up. He threw his head back and let out a deep lustful moan. Aoi’s eyes widened as he heard his name being yelled out before the moan and Uruha’s hips jerked up. His mouth was suddenly filled with the salty hot liquid. He waited until Uruha stopped thrusting and fell limp on the couch before pulling his mouth away and swallowing the load.

He wiped his lips as he watched the brunette panting, his eyes closed, and face still a deep red. He leaned over with a smile. “Uru…”

The brunette opened his eyes up enough to see Aoi coming in for another kiss. He gladly accepted the gesture and wrapped his arms around the magenta teen’s neck. The Aoi pulled away and began pulling Uruha’s pants up. The brunette began to sit up, but was suddenly lifted up in Aoi’s arms.

“Aoi wh-what are you doing?”

“Taking you to your bed. You must be tired.” He said happily. Uruha smiled softly as he leaned into the other’s body. Satomi saw Aoi walking in with her brother in his arms, so she quickly grabbed the futon and rolled it out for him. The magenta teen nodded in thanks as he laid the brunette down on it and grabbed the blanket to cover him up. “You rest now okay. I’ll see you at school.”

Uruha nodded his head and Aoi began to get up, but the brunette grabbed his arm. “Wait…”

Aoi cocked his head to the side as Uruha sat up. He placed a soft kiss on Aoi’s cheek then another one on his lips. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

            Kai looked up from Miyavi as Aoi stepped into the car and gave him an odd look. “Did you get lost? What took you so long?”

The other’s face got red. “Nothing. Kaoru, let’s go.”

“Yes young horny master.”

“Hey!” Aoi snapped, but the other three just started laughing. Kai tried to cover his laugh, but Miyavi was holding his arm down from doing so.

“I love your smile.” Miyavi said softly, earning a surprised look from his boyfriend. “You shouldn’t hide it.”

Before he could respond, Kai’s cellphone started going off. He looked at the ID with a confused look before answering it. “Hello?”

The other two watched as the brunette’s face suddenly changed to a horrified expression. Miyavi sat up and grabbed his lover’s shoulder. “Kai?”

The phone slipped from his fingers as tears started streaming down his face. The half blonde quickly grabbed the phone as he boyfriend remained frozen in place. “Hello? Who is this? Oh god.” Miyavi muttered. “Thank you, we’ll be there soon.” He hung up the phone and looked at their driver. “Kaoru, drop us off at the hospital.”

“Is everything alright?” He asked.

“Mom…”Kai whimpered.


End file.
